


Having It All

by Fawn_Eyed_Girl



Series: InuKag Kendo Club [5]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blood and Violence, Consensual Sex, Demonic Possession, F/M, Fluff and Mush, Powerful Higurashi Kagome, Protective InuYasha (InuYasha), Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:15:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 41,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fawn_Eyed_Girl/pseuds/Fawn_Eyed_Girl
Summary: Taisho Yash just wants the simple things in life. He wants his kendo team to win their upcoming meet, and he wants to convince the love of his life, Higurashi Kagome, to move in with him. He wants the latter so much that he tags along on her trip to her family’s shrine, where she plans to search for scrolls to translate for her doctoral research. What he didn’t count on was her unleashing an evil weapon from an old box: a weapon that possesses its owner and made them do unspeakable things. Now he’s got an ancient weapon to destroy, a kendo meet to win, and a girl who runs away whenever her feelings get the best of her. Will Yash and Kagome be able to destroy the weapon before the meet, or will they become its next victims? And, will Kagome finally stopping running and settle down with Yash?**WINNER: Best Romance AND Best Serial (InuKag Kendo Club) at Feudal Connection 2020 3rd Q Inuyasha Fandom Awards!**
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Series: InuKag Kendo Club [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652278
Comments: 41
Kudos: 78
Collections: Divergent Adventures of Inuyasha, Quarter 3 2020 Inuyasha Fandom Award Winners





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! Welcome to the next installment of the InuKag Kendo Club. I've been working on this for quite awhile, and it's finally developing into something worth sharing. This one is a short multi-chapter arc!
> 
> In this chapter, Kagome has a nightmare, and Yash asks her an important question. There's also plenty of lemon and love, so please enjoy!

Taisho Yash lay on the futon in his bedroom; his girlfriend, Higurashi Kagome, was curled up next to him. Her hand was fisting his silver chest hair, tightening and loosening her grip on it as she slept. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, with lots of blue-black tendrils escaping about her face. Yash smiled. She was so like a little lost kitten when she slept: scrunched up face, pink little nose, tiny frown playing on her lips, and that hand in his chest hair! He sighed and pulled her closer to him.

Yash thought back to what he knew about his girl. He knew that she’d been in a long-term relationship before him, one that had ended badly. She never fully explained to him what happened, but her scent when she talked about it told him that that if he ever met the guy, he’d probably tear him apart. He also knew her powers were erratic and caused her a lot of concern. She’d purified one youkai in high school, and apparently had used her powers against one of her classmates in her program (he growled silently at that, knowing there were other men at this university who’d tasted his Kagome), yet with him, her powers remained sated. She came from a shrine family, who he had yet to meet, and she wanted to return there to work and study eventually. She was brave, loyal, ambitious, and committed. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and he’d been alive a long time and seen a lot of women. But none had the blue-black hair she had; none had the fierce, stormy eyes; none had the body that was a perfect mix of soft and hard.

“Inuyasha,” she muttered, clenching his chest hair so tightly he gasped. His heart stopped for a brief moment. _No one_ called him by his full name, and yet, even as she slept, she said it, so sweetly and so innocently, it made him wonder why exactly he so hated the sound of his own name.

Of course he knew why he fucking hated it so much. That name was associated with years of bullying, of mocking, of abuse.

But when she said it, all those years melted away, and it was just the two of them, there, on his futon, one of them sleeping, one wide awake.

Her scent suddenly changed; her eyes were moving rapidly under her eyelids; her breathing was becoming raspy. She was having a nightmare.

Kagome yanked on Yash’s chest hair; his breath hitched. Her breathing quickened and she was making hoarse little whining sounds. “Hojo,” she said. “Please.”

 _Hojo_. Who the fuck was Hojo?

“Hojo,” she said again. “Please. Please don’t!” Her breathing was now increasingly ragged. Kagome let go of Yash and curled in on herself. The air was full of the scent of her tears. Yash rolled over and pulled her flush against his chest, stroking her hair gently with one hand.

“Kagome,” he said, “Shh. I’m here. I’m here, and I love you. I love you. It’s okay.”

Kagome started to push frantically back against Yash, her breathing now erratic. He refused to let her go. “Kagome,” he said, a little louder and more desperate. “ _Please_. Please wake up!”

Kagome’s eyes flew open. They looked around the room, taking everything in, eventually settling on Yash, whose golden eyes were aflame with worry for her.

“Kagome?” he asked tentatively. She blinked slowly.

“Yash?” she replied.

Relief flooded his body, and he held onto her as though she might crumble away.

She sighed. “Yash,” she said again, allowing him to hold her tightly, her arms circling his chest. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about,” he said immediately, his face buried in her hair. Her scent was still wracked with fear. He kissed her hair, her ears, her nose…whatever he could do to set her at ease. “Do you wanna talk?” he asked.

“You won’t like it,” she mumbled.

“Try me,” he said.

“I was dreaming about Hojo.”

“Who the fuck is Hojo?”

“My ex.”

“You mean—” Yash didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

Kagome sighed. “Are you _sure_ you want to hear this?”

He nuzzled her hair. “I’m sure.”

Kagome took a slow, deep breath. “Okay.” She took another deep breath, let it out, and shuddered.

“The night I left Hojo,” she began. “The night I left him, it wasn’t because I was unhappy.” She paused. “I mean, I was, but that’s not the only reason why I left him. I left because he was abusive: psychologically, emotionally, and then, the night I left…physically.” Kagome sighed. “He was always making comments about my work: it was worthless, it was a waste of my time, and what did it matter what I did since I was going to marry him and just be a housewife, anyway? He saw my work as a dalliance; something to do while I waited around for him to propose.” She snorted, trying to hold in her tears. “Obviously, it’s much more than that. When I stayed on for the doctoral program, he commented it was because I wanted to continue my ‘relationship’” —here she used scare quotes— “with my mentor, Imura-sensei, who’s a hanyou like you. I tried to ignore it as best I could. I really did.

“But then one night I was out late working on a class project. Hojo shamed me into coming home, he made innuendos about my relationship with Imura-sensei, and then he…” She took a deep breath. She’d never told anyone but her mother what happened. “He hit me. He hit me so hard I fell.” Now her eyes did fill with tears.

Yash started to growl; he stroked her hair tenderly, hoping that his growl sounded more comforting to her than it felt. Because he was going to kill this guy.

“Then he kicked me,” Kagome continued in a shuddering voice. “He kicked me, over and over. He called me a defiled miko and said no one would ever want me. I pretended to pass out so that he’d leave me alone.” The tears spilled over and down her cheeks. “As soon as he left, I threw some things into a few duffels, and then I went home. My mother came to get the rest of my things for me. She helped me find an apartment.” Kagome smiled through her tears. “My mother saved me, Yash.”

Inuyasha’s growls were becoming louder; his fangs dipped below his lip in his anger. He lifted Kagome up so they were face-to-face. “Where is this Hojo bastard now?” he demanded.

“Nowhere,” Kagome answered. “Please, _please_ , Yash. Please just let it go.”

“Obviously he’s not _nowhere_ , baby girl,” he retorted. “I’m gonna find him and kill him.”

“ _It’s okay_ ,” she said pleadingly. “Please don’t dredge this up for me.”

“It’s already dredged up, ‘Gome,” he replied. “You’re in my bed having fucking nightmares about this.”

“I have them…off and on,” she said haltingly. “I just haven’t had one around you before. Not any this bad anyway,” she added.

Yash pulled her face flush with his and kissed her cheeks tenderly, licking away her tears. Kagome let in a sudden gasp of air. “Shhh,” Yash said soothingly. “Let me take care of you, baby girl.” He kissed her nose, her lips, her chin. “You spent eight years with that fucker,” he said. “But you’ve never had anyone but your mama take care of you. Let me try.”

Kagome shook a little in his arms. “Inuyasha,” she murmured.

He covered his lips with hers, desperate to show her his love, desperate to take away her pain. “Please.” Now he was the one pleading with her. “Please let me love you.”

Kagome quivered and pressed her lips to his, just as desperate to love him as he was to love her. She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him close, her thin t-shirt the only thing blocking their bodies from being in full contact with each other. She tangled her hands in his hair; he scented her tears and sensed her love for him and her sadness.

“Why are you still crying, baby girl?” he asked.

Kagome took a deep, shuddering breath against his lips. “Because I love you so much,” she whispered. “I love you so much, and when I think about where I was a year ago, and where I am now, it’s crazy that was even my life. That _this_ is my life.”

“This could be your life all the time, you know,” he whispered, running his hands up under her t-shirt, palming her breasts gently, pinching her nipples.

“What—what do you mean?” she asked breathily between moans.

“Come live with me, baby girl,” he said huskily. “You and me. Here. Every day and every night.”

That made Kagome pull away from him. “What—what did you just say?”

 _Fuck_. He had neither expected to ask her that, nor to get that response.

“Um…move in with me?” Now he couldn’t look her in the face.

Kagome was silent for a long time. Slowly, she took his hand in hers, absently rubbing the back of it with her thumb.

“Yash,” she said softly, “that’s…I mean…”

“It’s a lot,” he said, embarrassed. “It’s too much. Forget I asked.”

“It’s not that,” she replied. “I…we just…we haven’t really told anyone about us yet.”

“So?” he said.

“Me moving in here would be…well.” She giggled. “We’d kind of have to admit we’re together, you know?”

He pulled her back close to him, and kissed her gently. “And what’s so wrong with that?”

“I can’t lose my job, Yash,” she said. “And neither can you. Not over this.”

“So then quit,” he said immediately. “You wouldn’t need the extra income. Let me take care of you.”

She sighed into his chest. “Yash, you _know_ me,” she replied. “You know I can’t just up and quit. I’ve worked really hard, and I _like_ being the team manager. I don’t want to quit.” She looked up into his face; her heart broke a little at the fear and pleading in his golden eyes. “You don’t want to lose the best team manager you’ve ever had, do you?” she asked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

He snorted. “If it means I get to tell everyone how I feel about you, then yes. It’s worth it.” He kissed the top of her head. “Fuck it all, baby girl, I love you. I want everyone to know that I love you. Unless…” He lowered his eyes in shame. He didn’t want to finish that sentence. Kagome knew what he was thinking.

“Okay,” she acquiesced. “Let me think about it.”

Yash grinned, his fangs peeking out over his bottom lip. “Really?”

She reached up and kissed him. Hard. “Really. And we need to talk about it more. But first…” she took his hand and guided it back under her t-shirt. “I think we were in the middle of something, no?”

Yash growled and licked his lips, squeezing her breast lightly. She moaned his name in response. Her aura pushed forward in her excitement, but this time, instead of his youki comforting her, her reiki surrounded them both, providing a warm blanket under which they could make love.

Because this time, that’s what it was. He was tender and gentle, more so than usual. It was as if he was afraid to be rough with her, afraid he was going to scare her away.

But the truth was, nothing could scare her away. She loved him. She just didn’t know if she was ready to live with someone again. But she needed to show him, to reassure him, that she did, in fact, love him. So much.

Kagome pushed him away for a moment. He whined a little, his ears flattening, his eyes dulling. But she smiled, and with a swift movement, she lifted her shirt up over her head, so she could be fully nude before him. She lay back onto the futon, allowing him to take all of her in. She felt beautiful and vulnerable. She wanted him to know: she was fully, completely, his.

Yash’s breath hitched. He knew what she was doing: she was submitting to him, all of him, saying that she was his for the taking. And fuck, if that wasn’t exactly what he wanted from her.

“Inuyasha,” she whispered. “Please.”

Yash covered her body with his, and lowered his face to hers. “You sure you want this?” he asked her.

“I want _you_ ,” she replied, lifting her face to meet his in a soft kiss. Yash hissed, and rubbed her lips against his own, feeling how soft and smooth they were. He pulled her close and rolled her to her side, running his claws so lightly up and down her back she started to shiver. He released her lips and began to nuzzle her neck.

“Yash,” she breathed, feeling lightheaded at his ministrations.

“Kagome,” he replied softly, his face still in her neck. “Kagome.”

She couldn’t believe how turned on she was getting by just his simple, gentle movements. Each time he ran his claws down her back, up her arms, across her belly, she felt a gush of warmth that started in her groin and made its way downward. His hands knew just where to touch her, just where to bring her to life. She was his instrument, and he knew exactly how to make her sing.

“I don’t think I can wait, Yash,” Kagome said. His hands were everywhere, _everywhere_ , and her body was taut with emotion and desire. One stroke to the right place and she was going to snap.

Yash chuckled. “Hold still, ‘Gome,” he said, reaching across her to the nightstand. He opened the drawer and pulled out a condom. Slowly, he sat up, straddling her thighs, tearing open the wrapping. She took it from him and held the condom in one hand and his cock in the other. She took a moment to stroke it, feeling the soft skin on the underside pulse with every touch. He let out a little whine and she giggled, knowing what she did to him was just as intense as what he did to her. She put both hands on the condom; he took over holding his shaft for her as she rolled the condom over the head of his cock and then down. She looked up at him, her blue-gray eyes dark with desire. He leaned forward and worked his cock over her sex. When he reached her small bundle of nerves, she shuddered. He smirked and did it again, causing her to call out his name brokenly. Not wanting to tease her anymore, he moved to slide inside her, only to have her reach out and grasp his wrist.

“Wait,” she breathed. Yash looked at her, confused. She pulled at him until he was close to her, and then she made to flip him over. Yash chuckled and did as she asked, shifting his position so that she was now the one straddling him. He lay back, hands folded behind his head, watching her with delight to see what she planned to do to him.

He didn’t have to wait long. Kagome leaned forward to catch his lips in a kiss, allowing her nipples to brush up against his chest. The light touch made him moan, and immediately he shifted his arms to move around her back. She pulled back slightly.

“No, no, no, my little puppy,” she teased him. “I’m doing the work now.”

He whined and pawed at her, but she pulled back and slid her core over his cock, rubbing it against her warm, wet opening. They both groaned at the pleasure as Kagome sank down onto him.

She sat there for a moment, growing used to the feel of him inside her from this angle. Then she leaned forward slightly and began to thrust up and down on his cock, her hands curling in his silver chest hair, her own hair falling loose around her. Yash’s breath caught as he watched her move. Had she ever looked more fucking beautiful than in that moment?

He reached up to feel her breasts, full and bouncing gently as she moved. Kagome hissed a little under his touch, and moved her body a little lower so he could have better access. The shift in angle meant that his cock was hitting a different area inside of her, and she moaned at the new feelings rushing through her, combined with the feel of his fingers palming the soft tissue of her breasts. His touch was so light, yet so firm, she was getting dizzy with the pleasure of it all.

She tried to move herself up and down on his cock faster, as she knew he liked, but the very _feel_ of him inside her from his angle caused her to need to slow down and relish it. She pressed her hands down harder into his chest and felt her reiki rising up around her, sparking pink and vibrant.

“Yash,” she breathed.

“I got you, baby girl,” he murmured, unleashing some of his youki. The feeling of the two intertwining around them—no, being able to actually _see_ their auras intertwining around them—was too much for Kagome, who began to move against Yash’s cock more vigorously. The world around her became pink and red and swirly and she moaned his full name as she came. Yash hissed and grabbed her hips, thrusting her up and down as she uttered a string of curses wantonly. His youki was baying now, insisting that he finish inside her as quickly as possible. She gathered what was left of her senses to reach behind her, lightly caressing his sac. He howled her name and bucked into her, hard, the condom catching his manic release. Kagome arched her back over him, feeling a second orgasm shooting through her body, watching their auras sparking together through lidded eyes.

Kagome relaxed over him, her head dropping down to meet his for a lingering kiss. She felt their auras recede, and sighed at the loss of their comfort. Yash pulled her close as he slipped out of her, removing the condom and dropping it into the wastebasket beside his bed.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you,” he said.

Kagome snuggled in close beside him, feeling all of his love surrounding her. She could get used to this; she could admit that much to herself, easily. But did she want to? Did she want to give up her independence for a man she loved? She’d already done that once, and look how _that_ turned out.

 _But Yash isn’t Hojo_ , she told herself. _He would never to do you what Hojo did_.

His soft breathing above her told her he had already fallen asleep. Kagome wriggled out of his grasp slightly to gaze up at him; his long dark eyelashes cast a shadow across his tanned cheeks, making him look infinitely younger than he was. His lips were pouty, and fixed in a slight smile. He was happy. No, he was happy _with her_. The fact was not lost on her that they’d both been through terrible experiences with relationships, and yet here he was, laying it all out there for her, wanting to care for her in a way no one besides her mother (as he so succinctly put it) ever had. The tenderness he showed her ignited feelings in her she’d never felt. She wanted to take care of him just as much as he wanted to care for her; she wanted to be like this, with him, close to him, all the time.

Kagome felt Yash’s arm tighten around her, pulling her back in close to his side. When she was alone, in her apartment, she missed this. She missed _him_ ; she _ached_ for him. So what was stopping her?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome mulls over Yash's offer with help from Sango, Miroku, and tequila. Yash takes care of Kagome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! So I decided to post the second chapter. Enjoy!

“Jeez, Kagome, what is stopping you?” exclaimed Sango, slamming her beer down on the table. “The sexiest kendo coach in the whole country asked you to move in with him, and you said _no?_ ”

“I said I’d _think_ about it,” replied Kagome a little testily, bringing her own beer to her lips and taking a sip.

Her options for talking out this problem were limited; there were only two people in the world besides Yash and herself who knew about their relationship. Miroku had too much of a dirty mind to be valuable in this kind of situation, so that left Sango, who was also proving to be of little help.

“So you’re going to think about it,” Sango commented, picking at the karaage in front of them. “Honestly, what’s there to think about?”

“Well,” said Kagome, “number 1: I would have to quit my job.”

“So?” asked Sango, washing down the karaage with more beer.

“I _like_ my job, Sango,” Kagome hissed. “I like working with you. I like the team.”

“It’s not like this is your only job, Kagome,” replied Sango easily. “You’d still be teaching.”

“And making half the money I currently make,” Kagome pointed out. “Which brings me to point 2: I would have to rely on Yash for rent.”

Sango rolled her eyes. “Again,” she said, “I don’t really see what the problem is.”

Kagome took a huge gulp of beer. “San-go,” she moaned. “I don’t want to be reliant on a man for my livelihood. I’ve got to make it on my own, in my own way, on my own terms.”

“Who said you won’t be?” Sango asked. “Living together means sharing a life. It doesn’t mean being a servant, like you were for that Hojo bastard.”

“But ‘sharing a life’ also means sharing money, and other things,” Kagome rejoined.

“So the fuck what?” Sango exclaimed. “You are doing great. You and Yash are apparently also doing great. You two spend almost every night together anyway. Why not make it official?”

“ _Because_ ,” insisted Kagome, “because I—”

“You what, Kagome?” Sango said.

“—I—I—” Kagome didn’t know what to say. So she got up and went over to the bar. “Two shots, please,” she said to the bartender. “Tequila. With lemon wedges.”

As she waited for the bartender to pour their shots, Kagome thought over what Sango had said. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Yash, or that she didn’t want to spend more time with him. It was more that—that she was afraid. Afraid of losing him, if he saw more of her. Or, afraid of losing herself, in him. She’d done that once, and she didn’t want to do that again.

Kagome paid the bartender and returned to the table with their drinks. What she saw almost made her drop the shots.

“Look who decided to drop by, Kagome,” Sango said with a grin. Sitting across from her was the handsome, handsy, dark-haired team physician.

“Hello, Kagome,” said Miroku, smiling amiably at her.

“Hello, Miroku,” Kagome replied weakly, sliding into the booth next to Sango. “Here,” she said to her friend. “I got us shots.”

“Felt like you needed one, huh?” Sango said. Kagome nodded.

“We need one more, though,” she said. “I’ll go back.”

“No,” said Sango, “I’ll go. You stay. I’ll get us refills on the beers, too.” Kagome stepped out of the booth and let Sango slide past her. She sat back down across from Miroku, who was still smiling at her.

“Let me guess,” Kagome said, pulling her beer over from the other side of the table and finishing it in one big swig. “Sango filled you in on my situation.”

“That she did,” Miroku replied. “And I have to say that I agree with her. Why wouldn’t you want to take Yash up on his offer?”

Kagome slammed the beer glass down again. “Do you think I’m crazy for saying no? I did tell him I’d think about it.”

“I think that you are crazy for not carefully weighing your options, Kagome,” replied Miroku simply. “And for not opening your heart to the possibilities that this new life would hold.”

“I agree with the doc,” said Sango, sliding back in with a shot for Miroku and a pitcher of beer for the table. She handed Miroku his tequila and lemon wedge, and then poured beer refills for Kagome first, then herself. Miroku put his hand over his glass to indicate he was still working on it. “You’ve got to let go of your insecurities, Kagome. If you love him, take the next step.”

Kagome put a little salt on the space between her thumb and forefinger and passed the salt shaker to Miroku, who did the same and then passed it to Sango. Once they were all ready, they licked the salt, shot the tequila, then stuck the lemon wedges in their mouths, sucking contentedly.

“This _is_ the next step for me, guys,” Kagome said, popping out her lemon wedge and putting it in the basket with the half-eaten karaage. “I told him I love him; I’m happy living my life as it is. It took me a long time to get here. I don’t feel like pushing it any further right now.” She took a swig of beer. “Right now,” she grinned, “I just feel like drinking.”

* * *

“Thank goodness you decided to stay home tonight, Taisho,” Sango commented. “Between me and the doc, I don’t know if we could have gotten her home.”

Kagome was drunk. Very drunk. Apparently tequila—or any hard liquor—had a devastating effect on her.

“Inu-ya-sha,” she giggled, reaching out to grasp his arm. She stumbled and he caught her easily.

“What the fuck, you two?” he hissed. “What the _fuck_ did you give her to drink?”

“Tequila,” Kagome said cheerfully. “I bought shots.”

Yash rolled his eyes. “Why in the name of all that is holy would you—”

“—It was my idea, Yash,” said Sango quickly. “I didn’t know it would have that kind of effect on her.”

“Well, now you know,” Yash growled. He turned around and crouched down. “Up, wench,” he grumbled. Kagome giggled again and climbed onto his back.

“I’ll see you fools Saturday,” he said.

“Taisho,” said Miroku suddenly, his cheeks flushed from the liquor. Yash stilled as Miroku put a hand on his arm. “Go easy on her, okay? She’s got a lot on her mind.”

Yash nodded to Sango and Miroku in response, then took off down the street, Kagome resting comfortably on his back.

As they raced back to his apartment, which was fairly close to the bar, Yash was trying so hard not to let loose his youki in anger. What in the hells could she have been thinking? There was no way she would be able to hold that much alcohol! And dammit, why was she drinking on a Thursday night?

“Inuyasha,” she murmured.

“What, Kagome?” he asked, all his anger instantly gone as her breath tickled his neck.

“I—sorry,” she mumbled.

“Hold on, ‘Gome,” he said softly. “I’m gonna get you home.”

She mumbled something incoherent into his neck and clutched him tighter with her thighs. His breath hitched as her arousal started to spike.

 _She’s drunk_ , he told himself. _I can’t take advantage of her when she’s like this_.

Luckily, he reached his apartment before she could really start to distract him. “Ya gotta hold onto me, baby girl,” he said, “I need to get out my key.”

“Like—when you call me that,” she whispered.

Yash blushed and tried to control his youki, which was threatening to take over. He reached into his pocket and quickly whipped out his key. He opened the door and stepped inside, Kagome still on his back. He closed the door behind them and locked it, then slipped off his shoes and Kagome’s, leaving them in the genkan.

“Here,” he said, letting her down gently on the couch, “sit here. I’ll get you a snack and some water.” He went to the kitchen to see what he could dredge up.

Kagome sat on the couch, blinking, as though she were slowly realizing where she was, and who she was with.

“Yash?” she said hesitantly, cocking her head to one side.

“What is it?” he said from the kitchen.

“I thought you said you would take me home?” she asked, pulling at her tank top.

“I did take you home, baby girl,” he said.

She pouted. “But this is _your_ home.”

 _Oh_ , fuck.

“My apartment is closer,” he pointed out.

She stood up. “But I wanted to go to _my_ home,” she said.

“I’m sorry, ‘Gome,” he replied, “but you’re stuck here with me.” She was getting combative, and he was getting cranky.

She flopped back on the couch, sulking. “If I have to stay, can I have something to drink?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Sure, baby girl.” He took the water filter out of the fridge and poured her a glass. He brought it into the living room and set it on the chabudai. He watched, amused, as she leaned forward and sniffed at it. “What _is_ this?” she asked.

“Water,” he said. “Which clearly you haven’t been drinking enough of tonight.”

She took the glass and sipped it. “I’m going to make you a snack, too,” he said. “What would you like?”

“Hmmm…” she cocked her head to the side again. So, so, fucking cute.

“Ramen?” she suggested, her eyes lighting up, now thoroughly distracted from her earlier combativeness.

He laughed outright. “Sure.”

She followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the countertop, a little wobbly, watching him intently, as though he was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. He put some water on to boil, then took out some instant ramen from the cupboard. He then proceeded to take some shitake and some green onion out of the fridge.

“Chicken okay?” he asked her.

“Ssssure,” she said, slurring the word slightly, but grinning.

He took some cold chicken from the fridge too, and proceeded to slice everything up. Once the water was boiling, he added the instant ramen, letting it cook for a few minutes. Then, he added the shitake, the onion, and the chicken, and let the whole thing cook for a minute or two longer. Yash reached into the cabinet to the right of the cooker and pulled out two bowls. He divided the ramen between two bowls, then took out chopsticks and two spoons and handed them to Kagome, who also grabbed napkins off the counter. He carried the bowls out to the living room and set them on the chabudai, Kagome laying out the napkins, chopsticks, and spoons. They sat next to each other at the chabudai. “Itadakimasu,” they said together. Kagome raised her chopsticks and then stopped above her bowl.

“It smells good, Yash,” she said. Her eyes dropped and she blushed. “Thanks.”

“Feel a little better?” he asked her.

“A little more sober and a lot more stupid,” she said.

“Why?”

“Thanks for coming to get me,” she said instead, digging some ramen out of her bowl delicately and slurping it down.

“Of course!” he exclaimed.

She put her chopsticks down and rested her head on his shoulder. He could scent her arousal coming through, thick and cloying. His head was starting to swim.

“You take good care of me, Yash,” she murmured, reaching for his hand. He let her take it. She ran her fingers delicately over his claws.

“You could tear me to pieces with these,” she said.

“I could,” he replied.

“But you won’t.”

“Never,” he promised.

“I know,” she said, turning her face up to his. She closed her eyes and he kissed her lightly. She returned the kiss just as lightly, her drunkenness keeping her from doing anything more. She pulled away, reeling a bit from the contact, and then put her head back on his shoulder. He slipped an arm around her and rested them both back against the couch.

“I’m happy,” she murmured.

“I’m glad,” he said, looking down at her with love.

“I don’t want to ruin it,” she said, her voice thick with alcohol and sleepiness. “I’m afraid of ruining it.”

“You couldn’t ruin anything, baby girl,” he said softly, kissing her hair.

“You won’t make love to me tonight, will you?” she asked darkly, her voice swirling.

He smiled. “Not when you’re like this and I’m not, no.”

“Can you hurry up and get drunk, then?” she mumbled, rubbing her face into his neck and licking him. “I want you.” He shuddered. His youki soared.

He smiled and pushed his desire to the side. “Can you eat a little more for me? Then we’ll go to bed.”

Kagome tried to sit up, but she wilted to the side and had to lean on him again. He slipped an arm around her to steady her. She tried to use the chopsticks, but now found them to be huge and fumbling between her fingers. So she picked up the spoon and slowly started eating her ramen. He watched her, fascinated by how careful she was, even in her current state. Eating seemed to revive her a bit; as she inhaled the scent of the ramen, she sat up and began to eat more eagerly.

“I have to go to my mom’s tomorrow,” she said in between slurps.

“The shrine?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, turning her slightly unfocused eyes on him. “I have work to do there.”

“Is that why you were drinking on a Thursday?” he asked.

She leveled her gaze at him, suddenly very focused. “No. I was drinking on a Thursday because I don’t know what to do about your offer.”

 _Oh_.

“Will you come with me tomorrow?” she continued, seemingly oblivious to the escalation of tension in the room.

“Umm…” he didn’t know what to say. They had a meet on Saturday, and he needed to prepare. There wasn’t practice, but he needed to talk with Sango and go over strategy.

“There’s a meet, Saturday.” It wasn’t a question.

“There is,” he replied.

“Then you should stay here and prep.”

“Well…” he thought for a moment. The gravity of her request was not lost on him. “I’d love to come with you,” he said at last. “I’ll bring my work with me, and as long as you give me time to talk with Sango, we’ll be fine.”

Kagome’s face lit up with sloppy happiness. She turned away from her bowl and faced him. She slipped her arms around his chest and squeezed him to her, hard. He lowered his face into her hair and kissed her lightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Here.” Yash scooped her up in his arms. “I think you’ve had enough to eat. Let’s get you to bed.”

Kagome snaked her arms around his neck and turned her face to his chest. “Okay,” she said in a tiny voice.

Yash carefully carried her to the bathroom and set her on the counter. She raised her arms up and he lifted off her tank top, leaving her in her bra. “Here,” he said, wetting a washcloth. She obediently turned her face up to his while he gently washed away the day. She closed her eyes and breathed his name; he felt tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. She was so beautiful, so perfect, so _everything_. He just wished she didn’t have to be drunk to allow him to take care of her in the way he wanted. In the way she deserved.

“Next,” he said, “toilet.” He helped her wiggle out of her jeans and panties and then Kagome held her arms out; Yash lifted her from the counter and onto the toilet seat.

“Don’t fall in,” he said, “I’m going to get you a shirt to wear to bed.”

She giggled sleepily. “Okay, _Dad_.”

He snorted and went to the bedroom. Quickly he rummaged through his t-shirt drawer, selecting a black one for her to wear. He rushed back to the bathroom, where Kagome’s head was now resting on the wall beside the toilet, her eyes closed.

“Kagome?” he asked gently. She didn’t stir. He chuckled. “Hey,” he said, caressing her cheek. She nuzzled his hand and opened her eyes.

“Ready?” he asked. She nodded. He sat her back on the counter and helped her wash her hands. Then, he produced the t-shirt; she held her hands up and he slipped it over her head. It was huge on her. She held her arms out to him and he pulled her into his chest. Yash carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the futon.

“Don’t go,” she murmured.

He got on the futon beside her and pulled up the blanket. She immediately curled into his chest. Yash sighed.

“As if I could go anywhere without you,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Kagome have a major hangover the next morning? Will she remember giving Yash a hard time, or inviting him to the shrine? Find out in the next update, and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome has a hangover, and thinks more about the decision she has to make. Kagome gives Yash some love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! Thanks so much for continuing to read my little AU. I'm really enjoying creating this world :)
> 
> There is a lime in this chapter!

Kagome awoke with a killer headache. She moaned and moved her head from side to side. _Where was she?_ The futon felt familiar. _Was she home_?

“Morning, baby girl.” She opened her eyes to see Yash lying beside her in bed, his silver hair falling all around her, his fanged grin huge and amused.

“Yash…” she murmured, holding her hand to her head. “I feel like shit.”

He laughed. “You had a fun night,” he said, pulling her to him and kissing her lightly.

“Sango…” she groaned, the night coming back to her in bits and pieces. “Tequila.”

“Yes,” he said. “Sango, Miroku, and tequila.”

Kagome groaned again and pulled the blanket over her head. “Oh, gods, that’s even worse!”

“Come on,” he said, “you just needed a little release.” He paused, remembering what she’d said the night before. “You’ve got a lot on your mind,” he added.

She pushed the blanket down and looked at him, hard. “I do,” she said.

Both Kagome and Yash were quiet for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Kagome felt embarrassed. The night was fuzzy, but she remembered getting upset because he’d brought her here, and not to her own apartment.

Yash could detect her shame and embarrassment in her scent. He cleared his throat. “Look,” he said gruffly, “why don’t you get into the shower, baby girl? I’ll make some coffee.”

Kagome blushed and nodded. Yash got up from the futon and left the room, Kagome staring after him.

Kagome raised her head and slammed it back against the futon mattress. _Dammit_! She cursed silently. Why had she been so stupid last night? She was going to fucking _kill_ Sango. Kagome heard Yash rattling around in the kitchen. She felt confused, and alone.

She got out of bed and went to the closet. She had some clothing here in case she stayed over without planning ahead of time. She pulled out a hoodie dress, then went to the dresser and pulled out some underwear and tights. She only had her flats from the night before; those would have to do.

Kagome took her clothes and went into the bathroom. She set her clothes on the counter and turned on the shower. She let the water run until it was hot, and then she stepped in and unhooked the shower nozzle. She let it run over her body, giving in to the heat of the water.

She sighed, and rested her head against the bathroom wall. What in the hell was she thinking? Why not just agree to move in with Yash? Kagome couldn’t deny that she loved him; she couldn’t deny that she felt comfortable in his space. But she also couldn’t deny that she loved her jobs, both of them, and was reluctant to give her manager position up. Nor could she deny that living with someone scared the hell out of her, even if that someone was Yash, and not Hojo.

Why couldn’t she just have it all?

There was a soft knock at the door. “Kagome?” came Yash’s voice from the other side of the door. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer him; she was so lost in her train of thought that she couldn’t manage a rational reply.

“I’m coming in, then,” he said, opening the door. His breath caught at the sight of her, fully nude, resting her head against the tub wall, the shower nozzle slung over her back. “Hey, ‘Gome,” Yash said. “You okay?”

She looked up at him, her eyes shining. “Yash,” she said. “Yash.”

“What is it, baby girl?” he asked.

She paused. “I need you,” she said at last.

His heart skipped a beat, and in an instant, he was naked and in the shower beside her. He slipped the shower nozzle back in its holder, then pressed her body to his, stroking her hair as she quietly sobbed.

“What is it?” he asked again. “What can I do?”

She leaned up and reached around his neck, pulling his lips down to hers. The kiss was soft, and needy, and passionate, and mixed with the salt of her tears. She crushed her body against his, savoring the feel of his taut, searing skin. She pulled back slightly and rubbed her nipples against his chest; they hardened immediately and he hissed at the contact. 

“Please love me,” she whispered.

“I already do,” he whispered back.

“Then let me love you,” she murmured. Kagome ran her hands down his chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles under her fingertips. She explored his chest with her lips, burying her face in his chest hair and tonguing his firm skin. She followed the shape of his muscles down to the point of his V, where she then traced her hand along his cock from the bottom, lightly trailing her fingers from the base to the tip. She pressed her face into the soft hairs to the left of his cock, inhaling and kissing the spot lightly. Yash whined and buried his hands in her hair; no one had ever kissed him there before, and it was sensual and glorious. She grinned and ran her tongue across his cock to the opposite side, where she did the same thing. She grabbed his ass with both hands and dug in deeper.

“Baby girl,” he moaned, pulling on her hair slightly.

“Shhh,” she whispered. She dragged her tongue along the length of his shaft, then gently took the head of his cock into her mouth. He growled, and she could feel him pulsing. Slowly, carefully, she began to work him over, thrusting him in and out of her mouth as she moved her hand delicately, yet forcefully, back and forth.

Yash was in heaven. He had fucking died and gone to heaven. Her ministrations on his cock were so soft, yet every lick, every touch, every suck, every swirl of her tongue was making him burn hotter than the sun. Every inch of him was on fire, and she was only touching one part of him. How was that even possible?

Kagome grinned to herself as she felt Yash buck and heard him groaning above her. She gripped him a little bit tighter and popped off his cock, only to run her tongue down the underside of his shaft. “Fuck, Kagome,” hissed Yash. “ _Fuck_.” Kagome chuckled and doubled down on his cock, sucking harder than before, now running her right hand back and forth more furiously, her left hand reaching between his legs to massage his sac and the soft flesh behind it—as far as she could reach. She unleashed just a little bit of her reiki—enough to add to his pleasure. She felt confident that if it went too far, he’d let out his youki to bring her back down to earth.

The little jolt of reiki had Yash seeing stars. He pulled his hands from her hair and planted them on the bathtub wall, panting heavily now. “Don’t stop, baby girl,” he said in between breaths. Kagome hummed against his cock in response, and that was too much. He howled his release, clenching his hands and feeling his cock swell inside her mouth before he exploded. Kagome drank all of him greedily down, making little mewling sounds as she did so.

When she had sucked him dry, she pulled off his cock with a little pop, and stood back up to face him. Yash pulled her into his chest and held her tightly. “You know exactly what you do to me, don’t you?” he whispered hoarsely into her ear.

“I do,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he chuckled. “I should be thanking _you_.”

She pulled away and retrieved the shower nozzle, proceeding to wash him down thoroughly. “For letting me show you that I love you,” she said simply, tugging his chin forward so she could get his hair.

“Fuck it all, baby girl, if that’s how you’re gonna love me…” he couldn’t finish the sentence, opting instead to grab the shampoo and massage it into his hair, paying careful mind to avoid getting soap in his ears.

Kagome grinned wickedly and turned the shower nozzle on herself, letting the water pour over her body, watching his eyes hungrily take her in. “That’s _exactly_ how I’m going to love you,” she said roughly. “And if you’re a good boy today, there’ll be more of that when I get back.”

“You mean when _we_ get back, ‘Gome,” Yash replied, handing her the shampoo and taking the showerhead for himself.

“What do you mean, when _we_ get back?” Kagome asked, massaging the shampoo into her scalp.

“I mean that I’m going with you to the shrine today,” Yash replied. “Or did you forget that you invited me last night. Here,” he added, turning her to face him, “let me.” He rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, gently working out all the soap.

Kagome gasped. “I—asked you—to come home with me?”

Yash chuckled and got to work conditioning first his own hair, then hers. “Last night. You don’t remember, do you?” She shook her head; her eyes were wide with disbelief.

“You really want to do that?” He nodded, gently working out the knots in her hair with his claws. “Oh, that feels good,” she moaned lightly. Yash smirked.

“There’s a meet tomorrow,” she said.

“Well, we could always stay the night at the shrine, and be back in time for the meet. It is at home,” Yash told her. “Then you’d be able to have a nice long visit with your mom.”

Kagome’s face lit up. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

He turned the spray back on her hair, rinsing out the conditioner. “Anything for you.” His golden eyes melted. “Don’t you get that by now? Besides,” he added before she could respond, “I want to see where you grew up.”

She laughed and soaped up her own body, then his, paying special attention to his chest and his groin. He groaned slightly at the feel of her hands touching him again. He was still strung so tight from his climax. “It’s not much, Yash,” she replied. “Not all of us come from money.”

“Who said I came from money?” he laughed. She snorted; he never talked about his childhood, but he knew she could tell his tastes were clearly expensive. “Baby girl, you could have grown up in a box on the side of the road and I’d think it was great.”

Kagome leaned in and kissed him lightly; he could still taste himself on her, and a whine formed in the back of his throat before he could stop it. “Do you think we have time for…” his hand reached between her legs and massaged there gently and purposefully. She keened and almost lost her balance. “…before we have to go?” His fangs dipped below his lip as he gazed at her.

She grabbed the shower nozzle from him and immediately began spraying down her body. “Yes. Yes.” She turned the water on him and rinsed him off too. “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Yash and Kagome head to the family shrine. Thanks again for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash and Kagome arrive at the shrine. Yash has a heart-to-heart with Kagome's mother, while Kagome visits her grandfather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the anime and/or manga.

Traditionally, when Taisho Yash saw something he wanted, he went for it relentlessly until he got it. He was, after all, part inu hanyou, and the old saying about a dog with a bone lived up to expectations with him. When he wanted to learn kendo, he not only learned it, but became the best. When he added kenjutsu to his training, he sparred with the best partners he could find until he could beat them. When his job prospects picked up, he negotiated hard for what he perceived as the best job offer on the table: Tokyo University. When he kissed Higurashi Kagome for the first time, he knew he had to win her over. And when they made love for the first time, he knew that he wanted her forever.

But getting a woman to agree to live with you, let alone spend the rest of her life with you, is no easy task. Said woman must be amenable to at least thinking about these options. Typically, with literally any other thing that he wanted in his life, Yash would pursue and pursue until the other party wore down and gave in. Here, if he pushed too hard, Kagome would run away. He knew her style: get too close, get freaked out, and run. She’d done it to him for weeks before she finally agreed to date him. And now he was in danger of her doing it again.

No. He had to plan this out carefully. Be patient. Allow her to make this decision on her own. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t help her out a little.

Agreeing to go the shrine with her was the first step. She might not have realized it at the time, but he paid very close and careful attention to every bit of the fucking story she told him about that Hojo asshole. Everything Hojo did? Yash would do the opposite of that. While being subtle, of course. Hojo thought her work was meaningless? He didn’t approve of her future plans? Yash would show her that _he_ thought otherwise.

The train ride to the station near the shrine was uneventful. Kagome dozed on his shoulder while he watched footage of his team from the last meet, as well as footage of several other teams that Sango had managed to get her hands on. The quiet time helped him focus more directly. When he called Sango later in the afternoon, he knew exactly what they would discuss in terms of strategy.

Yup, he’d felt totally confident last night, agreeing to go with Kagome to the shrine. And even this morning in the shower (and after), he’d still felt like this was the thing to do. But standing here at the bottom of the steps, he felt pretty fucking nervous. Would her mother like him? Could he manage to not be a total ass? How did she feel about youkai? About her daughter dating a hanyou? Did she even know?

His mind was going into overdrive. He had to stop it.

“Hey,” he said softly, catching her hand before she started up the steps. “Does your mom know about us?”

Kagome blushed a deep red. “Ummmm…kind of?”

He raised his eyebrows at her.

“She knows that I’m dating someone,” she explained quickly. “But I didn’t want to tell her who. So it will be a…surprise?” She smiled weakly.

Yash huffed. “Let’s go, then,” he said. “Get it over with.”

Kagome’s face fell a little and he instantly regretted his comment. He was here to win her over, not fuck everything up. He grabbed her hand. “It’s gonna be fine.” He grinned. “Moms love me.”

Kagome rolled her eyes and Yash knew he had her again. “Come on,” she said, leading him up the steps.

After many, many, many steps, they passed through the torii gate and into the shrine courtyard. Yash looked around eagerly. It was a decent-sized piece of property, with the shrine itself and several buildings on the property. A few people were milling about, waiting to make prayers or purchase omamori. Yash noted a large tree off to the side; it was surrounded by a low fence, and there was a bench in front of it.

“That’s our Goshinboku,” Kagome told him. “My father proposed to my mother under that tree.”

Yash filed that one away under _Good to Know: Higurashi Kagome_.

“Mama will be in the main house,” she said. “My brother has been filling in for me with priest duties; you might get to meet him today. He goes to Waseda. I help out over breaks and when I can, but when I graduate, I want to come back and live here full-time if I can.”

Yash could see why. The energy surrounding the shrine was calming. He could stretch out under that sacred tree and doze for hours on end. He felt his youki practically purring from the aura of the place.

“Come on,” she said, pulling his hand. They strode up to the shrine house; Kagome knocked on the screen, then slid it open. “Mama?” she called. “Are you here?”

Kagome’s mother emerged from the kitchen, an apron around her waist. “Oh, hello dear,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting you for a while yet.”

“Yash wanted me to have as much time to do my research as possible, so he insisted that we leave early,” Kagome said, smiling up at him.

Kagome’s mother openly stared at Yash. It was the first time in a while someone had done so. He watched as she took in his full form: his silver hair, his downy ears, his golden eyes, his fangs, his claws…all of it. He stared right back at her, until she realized what she was doing and blushed.

“Kagome, dear,” her mother said, “you haven’t introduced your friend here properly.”

Kagome’s mouth fell open. “Mama of course!” She turned to Yash. “This is my boyfriend: Taisho Yash of the Tokyo University Kendo Team. He’s the head coach.” She turned back to her mother. “Yash, this is my mother, Higurashi Ayako, of the Higurashi Shrine.”

Yash bowed deeply before Kagome’s mother. “Higurashi-san, it’s so nice to meet you.”

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. When Yash looked up, she pulled him into a warm hug.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Taisho-san,” she said. “Aren’t you handsome? And look at your ears!”

“ _MAMA_ ,” said Kagome, turning beet red.

Yash, on the other hand, leaned forward into Mrs. Higurashi’s hands, allowing her to massage his ears gently. He rumbled pleasantly at her soft touch. _Anything for my girl_ , he thought.

“Please call me Yash,” he said. “You’re rubbing my ears. We seem to be friends now.”

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. “Okay, Yash-kun,” she agreed, using the honorific affectionately.

“How’s Ojii-san?” Kagome asked.

Mrs. Higurashi’s face grew grave. “He’s okay,” she said softly. “Today is a good day. He’s been cognizant and he recognized me this morning.”

“I’ll go see him, then,” Kagome replied immediately. She looked at Yash. “Will you be okay?”

He nodded. “I’m fine. Go see your grandfather.”

“Let’s go into the kitchen and get better acquainted,” Mrs. Higurashi said, pulling Yash by the hand. He followed her obediently into the kitchen as Kagome went down the hall, presumably to her grandfather’s room. He wondered why she hadn’t told Yash that her grandfather lived in the house, too.

“Kagome doesn’t like to talk about her grandfather, dear,” Mrs. Higurashi said, reading Yash’s thoughts. She motioned for him to sit at the table; he did, and she brought him a cup of steaming hot tea. He smiled a thanks, and she sat across from him at the table, her gray eyes peering into his golden ones. “She loves him so much, and it’s been hard on her to see him deteriorate. I—we haven’t decided what to do yet.”

“You mean a nursing home?”

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. “Correct.”

“What does Kagome’s dad say about it?”

Mrs. Higurashi frowned. “Kagome didn’t tell you?”

Yash’s heart caught in his throat. “Tell me what?”

Mrs. Higurashi took a deep breath. “Kagome lost her dad when she was a little girl. I was pregnant with Souta, her younger brother.” She exhaled, and then inhaled again. “Kagome’s Jii-san is my father-in-law. He took us in after his son…after he died.”

_Fuck; I’m an ass_. “I’m sorry, Higurashi-san,” he said quickly. “I meant no disrespect.”

She smiled weakly. “It’s okay, dear. Kagome has had a lot of loss in her life, especially when it comes to men.” She paused. “That’s why you’re here with her today, isn’t it?” He looked at her blankly. “To make sure she doesn’t feel so alone anymore.” Yash’s eyes widened. Fuck, her mother was fucking _smart_.

“Permission to speak frankly, Higurashi-san?”

Mrs. Higurashi’s smiled got a little wider. “Permission granted, dear.”

Yash took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“Higurashi-san, I’m in love with your daughter. Like, _really_ in love with her. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s smart, she’s fearless, she’s passionate, she’s powerful, she’s incredible.” He blushed a little talking about Kagome like that in front of her mother. “But she’s had it hard when it comes to guys. I know about that Hojo bastard—” Mrs. Higurashi gasped at both the fact that Kagome had even told Yash at all, and at his use of language “—and I know she’s had issues controlling her reiki. It took me _forever_ to get her to even go on a date with me. But we’re in a good place now. I want—” he paused “—I want to ask her to come live with me.”

Mrs. Higurashi looked at him, surprised.

“I promise, Higurashi-san, I will take excellent care of your daughter,” he said in a rush. “I’ve got an incredible job, and I’ll be able to support her. She can keep her TAship, she can stay in school, she can do whatever she wants. I just want her to be with me.” He put his head in his hands. “But she’s scared, and I’m afraid that if I push her too hard, she’ll run.”

Mrs. Higurashi blushed a little at Yash’s declaration, but she smiled, too. She remembered what it was like to be in love.

“I think it’s time that Kagome found someone who loves her for her, not for how she might serve their needs best,” Mrs. Higurashi said carefully. Yash knew she was talking about Hojo. “You know about her plans for the future.”

“She’s told me,” he said.

“And what do you think about that?” she asked.

“I don’t care what she wants to do,” he replied hotly. “I love her, and that means all of her, including her work. If she wants to work here, that’s fine. If she wants to work somewhere else, that’s fine too. If I wanted, I could leave my job today and have another one in less than a week. Any university with a kendo team would pay top money to get me.” He grinned. “I’m mobile, Higurashi-san. And I’m willing to follow your daughter to the ends of the earth if that’s what it takes.”

Mrs. Higurashi laughed. “I think following her here is exactly enough,” she said, taking his hands in hers. She rubbed the pads of her fingers over the tips of his claws and he stilled.

“How do you feel…about me?” he asked softly.

Mrs. Higurashi shifted her gaze from his hands to his eyes. “I think you are kind and gentle and compassionate, and you love my daughter,” she said simply. “That’s all.”

His grin grew so wide he allowed his fangs to dip below his bottom lip. “Thank you,” he said.

* * *

Kagome knocked softly on the door of her grandfather’s room. She heard a gruff, “Yes, what is it?” and opened the door.

“Hello, Ojii-san,” she said politely, closing the door behind her.

Her grandfather sat in a comfortable easy chair, reading the newspaper. Light koto music blared softly over the radio. He looked up when he saw her enter; his watery eyes widened in surprise. “Kagome,” he said, “why are you here?”

Kagome went over to her grandfather and gave him an affectionate kiss on the cheek. She cringed when she felt his skin: it was thin, papery, like she could easily tear it with her fingernails. She knelt beside him.

“I can’t just come and pay you a visit?” she asked.

“A visit? From where? The kitchen?” he asked, confused.

Kagome paled slightly. He didn’t remember.

“I was just kidding, Ojii-san,” she said with a smile. “How are you feeling today?”

Her grandfather folded the newspaper on his lap. “Tired,” he said. “I hate to ask you, but do you mind looking after the shrine today? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m okay with you staying home from school if you need to. I promise that tomorrow I’ll be up and around again.”

Kagome smiled. “Of course, Ojii-san,” she said. “I’m happy to help.”

As she rose, he caught her hand. “One more thing, granddaughter?”

“Anything, Ojii-san,” she promised.

“Can you go through the items in the shed and do inventory for me today?” he asked her. “I started a list…” he fumbled with his robes. “I thought I had it here somewhere.”

“It’s okay,” Kagome replied, “maybe Mama has it.”

He burst into a wide smile. “Maybe she does,” he said. “Please ask her.”

Kagome planted a kiss on top of his head. “Would you like some tea, Ojii-san?”

Her grandfather shook his head. “Not now, granddaughter. But when you’re done in the shed, please bring me your inventory list. I will need to review it. And I’m sorry for making you stay home from school. You won’t miss anything, will you?”

“I won’t,” she said. “I’ll send Mama in soon with some tea.”

“Thank you, granddaughter,” he said, opening his newspaper again. “Now, what page was I on?...” Kagome left him muttering over his location in the paper. She closed the door, leaned against it, and took a deep, shuddering breath.

* * *

“How is your grandfather, dear? Would he like some tea?” Mrs. Higurashi and Yash looked up when they saw Kagome enter the kitchen again.

Kagome sat beside Yash, who immediately put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “He would like some tea in a little while, Mama. And he thinks it’s somewhere around ten years in the past.” She gave a quiet, hitched sob. Yash looked at her sympathetically.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him.” Her voice was quiet.

“It’s okay,” he said. And while his heart broke a little at the fact that she had neglected to tell him about her family, he knew that he had secrets of his own he wasn’t sharing. But, for fuck’s sake, maybe it was time that he did.

“Ojii-san asked if I would inventory the shed today, Mama,” Kagome said. “Would that be all right? I could also use the time to look for some new scrolls to translate.”

“That’s fine, dear,” Mrs. Higurashi replied. “Maybe Yash-kun would like to help you?”

“I’d love to,” he said immediately. “I just need about thirty minutes to chat with Sango about tomorrow’s meet.”

“Why don’t we use my room?” Kagome suggested. “We can dump our bags up there, you can call Sango while I check my email, and then we’ll go out to the shed.”

Yash smiled. The scent of tears was quickly dissipating, leaving behind her excitement at exploring the shed. Any man who didn’t appreciate that was a fool, he decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will Yash and Kagome find in that shed? Find out in the next update, and as always, thanks for reading, so much!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash and Kagome find more than they bargained for in the Higurashi shrine shed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a minute, but I hope that this update finds you well.
> 
> So....this story is getting away from me a bit, haha! It's going to divert a little bit from the direction I was aiming to go, but sometimes the story just takes you and you have to go with it. I think it will end up being about ten chapters. I'm close to finishing a full draft, so I felt like it was safe to post an update. I hope you enjoy the twists coming up!

Kagome had apparently been quite correct in her memory that the shed was filthy and very, very dusty. She and Yash both wore bandanas over their noses and mouths to prevent as much dust and dirt intake as possible; it was especially important for Yash, whose inu nose was extremely sensitive. The shed had also not been opened in quite some time; Kagome tugged and tugged at the door, and only when Yash gave it a full-bodied yank did the door finally crash open.

The walls inside were lined with shelves, on which rested boxes and boxes and boxes of items. Yash was exhausted just looking at them; Kagome, on the other hand, was exhilarated. He could tell by the way that her blue-gray eyes gleamed over the top of the bandana: this was the kind of shit she lived for. Her excitement rubbed off on him, just a tiny bit.

“Where do we start?” Yash asked her. “There’s a lot of fucking boxes in here.”

Kagome looked around, eyeing the different types of boxes. “Let’s start over here,” she said, moving to a corner of the shed. “Can you help me get down the boxes on the higher shelves?”

“Sure,” Yash huffed, reaching over her to pull down several boxes. She whipped out a ledger, the kind that she used as team manager, and made a list of columns. She sat on the floor and started opening boxes.

“Oh, wow,” she breathed, “take a look at what’s in here.”

Yash peeked over her shoulder. “Looks like junk to me, ‘Gome.”

“It’s not junk!” she protested. “These are pieces of classical pottery. This is Arita ware, and this is Gifu ware.”

“Keh,” he replied. “Junk.”

“Not junk,” she grumbled, marking the pieces down in her ledger, then marking the box so it matched the number in the ledger. “Let’s see what’s in the next box,” she said, reaching for it.

And so it went on for hours: Yash pulled down boxes, Kagome went through them, labeled the items, and then then marked the items in her ledger, clearly identifying the box and the ledger. Yash had to admit some of the items were actually pretty interesting: they found a tessen, three whole boxes of shuriken, and several tanto. The katana they found especially interested him, and Kagome promised he could take that one to his old friend Totosai to have it evaluated. They also found numerous boxes of scrolls; those Kagome put aside and marked for her research. She would be analyzing them over the next few years.

“I can’t believe you’re here with me,” Kagome commented at one point, sneezing as she brushed the dust off a box.

“What do you mean, Kagome?” Yash asked, taking a few boxes down from a top shelf for her.

“I just mean…that you came all this way to the shrine, and that you’re helping me with inventory.” He could tell she was smiling under her bandana mask. “It’s really nice.”

Yash put the boxes he was holding down and ruffled her hair affectionately. “Baby girl,” he said softly, “I want to be wherever you are. Whatever you’re doing, I want to be a part of it. When will you figure that out?”

Kagome smiled again, but didn’t say anything. Yash hoped he was giving her plenty to think about.

They were about a third of the way through the boxes when Yash reached into the back of one of the shelves at the very top and pulled down a large box. “What do you think is in this one?” he asked her. “More weapons?”

Kagome took the box from him and narrowed her eyes. “It’s something dangerous, whatever it is,” she replied.

“How do you know?” Yash asked her.

“Do you see these?” Kagome pointed to the sheets of paper covering the box. Yash nodded. “These are ofudas.” She leaned closer, trying to read the writing on the scrolls; it was faded and difficult to see.

“So what?” Yash shrugged. Whatever was in there couldn’t be a huge deal; it _was_ in her family’s shed, after all.

“If the box is covered with ofudas,” Kagome explained, “it means that something is sealed inside. Typically, if you seal something, it’s because you don’t want it to get back out.”

Yash was silent for a moment. He didn’t know much about spiritual stuff; he was going to have to trust Kagome on this one.

So imagine his shock when she started removing the ofudas!

“Uh, ‘Gome?” he said tentatively. “What in _all the hells_ are you doing?”

“Dangerous or not,” she said, “I want to know what’s in here.”

“And if it’s something that could kill us?”

She gave him a leveled look. “I’m a miko, and you’re an exceptionally strong hanyou trained in kendo and kenjustu. If it is, in fact, dangerous, I think we can take it.”

Yash groaned inwardly. This girl was going to be the death of him.

While Kagome peeled the ofudas off, Yash watched, fascinated, as the box starting rattling, actually fucking _rattling_ , so much that it was hard for her to hold it steady enough to remove the scrolls. His youki was going off like crazy. He knew with every ounce of his being that this was _not_ okay.

Kagome had barely removed the last ofuda when the top of the box shot off, with such force that it knocked her back. Yash growled and leapt in front of her. A white-hot light poured out of the box, causing it to lift in the air and spin around wildly. A massive gust of wind came from inside the box, along with a howling so loud Kagome covered her ears and Yash’s flattened against his head as he grit his teeth in pain.

And then, the outpouring of jyaki from the box was so great that Kagome started dry heaving. Purple miasma flowed from the box; Yash picked up Kagome and practically flew out of the shed.

“We’ve got to take cover!” he yelled as the shed began to shake and glow from the miasma.

“Over there!” Kagome yelled back, pointing to the Goshinboku.

Yash carried her to the sacred tree and together they hid behind it, watching with horror at what was unfolding in the shed.

A great bright light shot forth from inside the shed; the howling grew louder and louder, and the winds picked up, whirling around the shrine courtyard. Yash and Kagome could both feel a prickling touching at the edges of their auras; something dark, and deadly, was coming.

Then, just as suddenly as the winds and the lights started, everything stopped. Yash peeked out from behind the Goshinboku.

“It’s quiet,” Kagome breathed.

He stepped out from behind the tree. “Stay close, baby girl,” he murmured. Together, they made their way slowly back to the shed. Yash poked his head through the door.

“What do you see?” Kagome asked him.

“There’s…hold on.” Yash stepped into the shed. The box was open, and he was able to see inside.

“Holy shit,” he muttered. “Holy shit.”

“What is it?”

Yash pointed to the box. “It’s a kusarigama, baby girl.”

Kagome leaned over his shoulder and looked into the box. Resting there silently, as though hell hadn’t just broken open, was a sickle on a chain. The blade of the sickle was made of bone; the handle and the chain were both steel. “Whoa,” she breathed.

Yash chuckled. “Yeah, whoa.” He squatted down to look at it more closely. The jyaki radiating off it was suffocating.

“Get back, ‘Gome,” he said, pushing her out of the way.

She coughed and covered her nose and mouth. “What _is_ that?”

“Jyaki,” he replied sharply. “An evil demonic aura.” He turned to look at her. “This weapon is possessed by a dangerous energy.”

“What?” she said. “How can a weapon be possessed?”

“You’re the expert in Japanese history,” he teased her. “You tell me.”

Kagome stood up and starting pacing the interior of the shed, keeping her distance from the weapon. “In ancient times, you might see youkai infuse some of their energy into an inanimate object,” she said thoughtfully.

“Tsukumogami,” Yash helpfully supplied.

“Right,” Kagome agreed. “So like zorigami, or a possessed clock, or the zenfushou, or an ungaikyou. But I’ve never heard of a weapon being infused with it.”  
  
“I have,” Yash said. Kagome looked at him, surprised. “My Tetsusaiga is infused with my youki,” he told her. “And the youki of my father. It’s made from his fang. It relies on my youki to transform.”

“I didn’t know the Tetsusaiga transformed?” she said.

“It’s usually a rusty katana,” he replied. “You’ve never seen it like that, probably. But that's how I carry it around. It's upstairs in your room in my duffel bag, right now." Kagome looked at him, surprised. "I can infuse it with my youki," Yash added, "which merges with the youki my father left behind, and that turns it into the sword you see me practice with.”

“But this weapon is infused with evil energy,” Kagome answered. “So…”

“My guess is that the bone that it’s made from comes from a powerful, evil youkai,” Yash said. “Like my Tetsusaiga, but way more dangerous. We have to be careful as fuck not to touch it.” He paused. “Should we reseal it?”

“I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do that,” Kagome replied honestly. “But maybe there’s a way we can exorcise it?”

“Let’s bring it to Totosai,” Yash said. “He made the Tetsusaiga for me. Maybe he knows something.”

Yash moved forward and grabbed the box lid. He tried to put it back on the box, but the kusarigama’s jyaki was too powerful. It repelled Yash and the box lid, throwing him back into the shed door with a loud bang.

“Let me try,” Kagome said.

“Baby girl, I don’t want you anywhere near this thing,” Yash warned.

Kagome made a clucking sound and took the lid from him. “I’ll be fine,” she promised, kissing him on the cheek. She held the lid over the box and tried to force it down, infusing the box lid with some of her reiki. Instead, the jyaki pulsed, and the chain end of the weapon shot out of the box and wrapped itself around Kagome’s wrist. Kagome screamed.

“Kagome!” Yash yelled, leaping forward. He made to grab her wrist and yank the chain off, but a blast of jyaki shot off the chain, burning Kagome. She screamed again, and Yash pulled his hand back immediately.

Kagome turned to face him; her eyes were no longer steely blue, but instead, a dark red. Her face was pale and blank. The sickle floated slowly out of the box and into her opposite hand. She rose, armed, and a slow, sick smile broke out across her face.

Quickly, she whipped the sickle out towards Yash; he jumped over the blade and landed behind her. The blade of the kusarigama floated menacingly in the air over them both, then flew back into her hand. She turned and whipped the weapon out towards Yash again. This time, he wasn’t quite quick enough; the blade caught him on the arm, nicking the skin and drawing blood. Kagome simply held out her hand and the kusarigama flew back to her.

“Kagome!” Yash shouted.

Kagome merely smiled, her beautiful blue-gray eyes still the color of blood. With surprising strength, she jumped through the air, over Yash, barely missing the roof of the shed. She landed behind him and brought the blade to his throat, her other arm wrapped around his chest to hold him still.

Yash was terrified. He knew he could easily overpower her, but he also didn’t want to hurt her. If he tried to take the blade from her, he was going to do just that. Sweat dripped from his forehead and onto the bone blade. He had to think.

She brought the blade up against his throat, pressing it into his neck and cutting it slightly. He could scent the blood seeping through his skin.

Yash didn’t have a choice.

She was going to kill him.

With one swift move, he raised his arm and knocked the blade out of Kagome’s hand. She cried out at the pain. While she grabbed at her wrist, the blade clattered to the ground, temporarily forgotten. Yash took this opportunity to snag her, twisting her chain hand behind her and placing his forearm over her chest, just as she had done, only he was stronger and this move would effectively pin her in place.

“Baby girl,” he whispered, “you’ve gotta fight it. I’ve got you.”

Kagome started twisting madly in his arms, grunting and groaning, but he held her fast. She might have been possessed, but he was still stronger. Even with her injured wrist, she was still trying to grip the chain to pull the blade back in towards her. However, Yash held both her hands firmly in place. She started foaming at the mouth, squealing and shaking; Yash forced her onto the ground and turned her head to the side, allowing the foam to escape without choking her. The jyaki of this weapon was overwhelming her, but it was _very_ appealing to his youkai side. Yash knew that if he wasn’t careful, it could overwhelm him, too.

In a desperate move, Yash unleashed a little bit of his youki to surround her and try to draw out her spiritual reiki. Kagome started growling and thrashing even more harshly, trying to move her head against the dirt floor of the shed. Her beautiful face became filthy and caked with sweat, blood, and spittle. The jyaki was responding to Yash's youki, pushing against it, trying to take it for its own. He wanted more than anything to reach out and grab it--fuck, the power from the weapon was incredible!--but he knew he had to resist. The jyaki made Yash’s heart beat faster and faster, but he held it together. For her.

Trying to ignore the jyaki, Yash focused all his energy on Kagome, willing his youki to gently encompass her, to help her overcome the possession. Slowly, her natural reiki started to emerge; Yash watched her bright pink aura seep out of her skin. Once it encountered the jyaki, her reiki shot from her body with a force, covering them both in a protective barrier. The chain unwound itself and her reiki flung it from her body; the sickle fell to the earth.

When Yash at last relaxed his hold and let her up, she turned to face him, her barrier still encompassing them both. Her eyes were back to their normal color, even if her cheeks were still pale. Her poor face was a mess. Yash let out a shuddering sigh and crushed her to him: dirt, saliva, blood, and all.

“You’re okay,” he murmured into her hair. Kagome’s hands slowly and unsteadily made their way around to his back, where she held him fast and hard.

“Yash,” she breathed.

“It’s okay,” he said again. He scented her tears, and he kissed the top of her head. They stayed like that for several moments, enjoying the warmth and protection of her barrier, and of their arms around each other.

Kagome recalled her reiki as she pulled away from him and turned her gaze to the weapon. It lay on the floor of the shed, seemingly innocent. But they knew better.

“How’s your wrist?” he asked tenderly, turning it in his hand. She winced.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” she replied gamely, flexing it slightly in his grip. “We might need to wrap it.”

“I’m so sorry, ‘Gome,” he said, tears threatening to spill down _his_ cheeks now. The knowledge that she was hurt—that _he_ had hurt her—was almost too much.

“Don’t be,” she said immediately. “You did what you had to do. You saved both our lives.” She winced again; her wrist was definitely tender. “I’d rather have a sprained wrist than be dead.”

Yash couldn’t disagree with that sentiment, so he drew her gently into his arms again, mindful of her wrist.

Kagome sighed. “So, I guess I’ve learned my lesson about opening strange boxes secured by ofudas,” she said into his chest with a nervous laugh.

Yash growled. “Don’t. Even. Joke.”

She broke free from his hold to kneel down and look hard at the weapon. “I don’t sense anything from it; do you?”

Yash sat beside her on his haunches. “It’s faint, but it’s still there. You probably made its jyaki recede. He took out his bandana. “Here. Get the box.” While Kagome rushed to obey him, he covered his hand with the bandana, then carefully picked up the weapon by its handle. Its jyaki pulsed slightly, but the weapon remained silent in his hand. Yash put the kusarigama back into the box, then picked up the chain and carefully wound it back in. He put the lid on the box.

“We need some ofudas to seal it back up,” he said.

Kagome nodded. “There are blank scrolls in the shrine office. I can write some up. I’m just worried that they won’t be strong enough.”

“I say we cut our research short for the day and go see Totosai,” Yash said. He sighed and looked at his phone. He still had to plan out the matches for the meet, and go over them with Sango. They’d chatted before, but they hadn’t fully mapped out their plan.

Kagome saw his look of worry. “I could go see Totosai so you can talk to Sango,” she suggested.

“Not a chance in hell,” he retorted. “I’m not leaving you alone with this thing.” He looked around the shed. “Let’s clean up quick, get that wrist wrapped, then go talk to your mom. I’ll call Totosai when we’re on the way, and then I’ll call Sango. Hopefully we’ll have enough time to game plan.” He sighed again. “I was really looking forward to dinner.”

Kagome grinned. “I’ll tell my mom to hold it. She’s making ramen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Yash and Kagome go to see Totosai, and Kagome learns a little more about Yash's past.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash and Kagome see Totosai, who tells them more about the weapon they found. Yash reveals more of his past to Kagome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.

Totosai, maker of weapons and Yash’s mentor, lived above a bar about thirty minutes by train from the shrine. Kagome was kind of surprised that a weapons maker would live above a bar, but according to Yash, that was because he couldn’t be bother to walk more than fifty feet for his next drink.

The neighborhood in Koenji was lined with small shops and music bars. Kagome had never been to Koenji. It looked like the kind of place she might like to visit; many of the bars had their windows open and music was floating into the street.

“Totosai lives here?” Kagome whispered, holding Yash’s hand.

Yash rolled his eyes. “Yeah, he’s lived in this neighborhood forever.” He hefted the duffel bag containing the kusarigama and his Tetsusaiga over his shoulder. “It’s right up here,” he said.

Yash led Kagome past a rather noisy bar, then hung a sharp left down a side alley. He went to a dingy metal door and rang the bell; Kagome noted that the peeling name above the bell said “Totosai.”

They waited for several minutes, Yash breathing irritably. “Come on, you bastard, I know you’re here,” he muttered, ringing the bell again.

Suddenly, Yash’s phone pinged. Curious, he and Kagome huddled over the screen.

_Meet me at the dojo at 2-Chome-34-7. Bring the Tetsusaiga and the kusarigama._

Yash growled. “Bastard,” he muttered again.  
  
“What does he want you to do?” Kagome asked.

Yash snickered. “The old man wants to fight,” he said, his face slowly breaking out into a grin.

“What?” Kagome cried. “Isn’t he old? Couldn’t you kill him?”

Yash laughed and took her by her non-wrapped hand. “Come on, baby girl,” he said huskily. “Let’s go have a battle.”

The dojo was about a five-minute walk from Totosai’s apartment. It was attached to a community center that was dimly lit; the dojo lights, however, cast an ethereal glow over the neighborhood, its glass windows allowing passersby access into the world of kenjutsu or whatever was being taught at that moment. Even though it was lit from within, Kagome couldn't see anyone inside.

“Don’t worry, ‘Gome,” Yash said with a laugh, “Old Totosai’s definitely in there.”

“How can you tell?” she asked wonderingly.

“You tell me, little miko,” he teased her.

Kagome stretched out with her reiki: she felt Yash next to her (he smirked and squeezed her hand, letting his youki brush up against her even though she was right next to him), but then she felt a deeper, darker youki from inside the building. She looked up at Yash, surprised.

“Yeah,” he said, “that’s the old man.”

Yash tugged on the dojo’s door, drawing Kagome inside after him. They removed their shoes, then padded down the hall to the entrance to the dojo itself. Yash positioned himself in front of Kagome. He reached into his duffel and drew out the Tetsusaiga, handing her the bag.

“Stay behind me,” he said. “The old man’s here somewhere. And don’t drop that duffel. The kusarigama's in there, remember.”

Kagome nodded, then closed her eyes, trying to detect Totosai. He must have been masterful at masking his youki, because she couldn’t really sense him—

“Kagome, get back!” Yash bellowed, shoving her to the side and drawing the Tetsusaiga from its sheath, just in time to block a gigantic sword that was rocketing towards them. Yash used both his hands on the Tetsusaiga, one on the handle and one on the blade, grunting as the other sword bore down on him. With a mighty roar, he pushed the other sword back and gracefully leapt into the air, flipping several times and landing nimbly on his feet about ten feet away from Kagome.

“That’s a dirty trick, Ojiji,” said Yash hoarsely, keeping the Tetsusaiga in front of him and scenting the air for his mentor. “You could have hurt her.”

“I knew you would get the Tetsusaiga out in time, Inuyasha,” said a wheezy baritone from somewhere close by. “But you are a little slower than I remember.”

“It’s been awhile since I had to use my youki to detect an enemy, Ojiji,” said Yash bluntly, dodging as the sword came at him again. “And dammit, why don’t you just show yourself?”

“Because,” the voice said, the sword raising up in the air, “this is much more fun.”

The gigantic sword flew at Yash; like lighting, he was in the air again. He bounded off the sides of the dojo, parrying and trying to attack the sword, without much luck. Kagome watched, fascinated, as the giant sword moved, seemingly with a will of its own. It seemed to be able to predict Yash’s movements; it was all he could do to take evasive measures and protect himself. Each slash of the Tetsusaiga was to block and to parry—try as Yash might, he could not attack.

Then gigantic sword moved up, and was swung around in a mighty circle, before it raised up again and made to come down on Yash. He blocked it with the Tetsusaiga—more easily this time—and spun around, the Tetsusaiga close at his hip, only to shoot it out in a wide arc at the last minute. He caught the other sword on its handle, and the disembodied baritone swore loudly as the other sword fell to the ground, the sound of its metal eaten by the softness of the mats.

“You’re slipping, Inuyasha,” said the voice again, “you need to practice.”

Yash sheathed the Tetsusaiga and bowed. “Yes, Ojiji,” he said.

There was a loud _pop_ and at the tip of the handle of the gigantic sword stood a wizened, bug-eyed old man; what remained of his white hair was bound up in a topknot. His eyes and mouth took up most of his face, but both were warm and kind.

Yash grinned. “Totosai-sensei,” he said, bowing again.

Totosai huffed and waved his hand. “No need for such formalities, boy,” he said gruffly. “But you need to come back here and start training again regularly.”

“Keh,” Yash replied. “Have you been following my team? We’re among the best in the country.”

“No reason for you to slack off on your own training,” Totosai pointed out. He turned to Kagome. “And who is this, Inuyasha?”

Yash scowled at Totosai’s use of his given name, but he returned to Kagome’s side. “Higurashi Kagome,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “My girlfriend.”

Kagome blushed at how simply and proudly he said it. She bowed. “Nice to meet you, Totosai-sensei,” she said politely, still bent parallel with the floor.

Totosai approached her. He placed a gnarled finger under her chin, and raised her up. “There now,” he said softly, “we’ll have none of that here.” Kagome’s blush deepened.

Yash cleared his throat. “You know why we’re here, Ojiji,” he said. “So why make me meet you here? Just looking to get your ass kicked?” Yash smirked.

Totosai looked at his pupil scornfully. “Because I know you, Inuyasha,” he replied. “And I needed to see just how badly you’ve let yourself go.”

“Keh!” he retorted. “I haven’t let anything go.”

“Good,” Totosai replied. “Then I’ll set up a scrimmage for you with your brother in a few days.”

“Bring it on, Ojiji!” Yash answered harshly. “You know I can take my brother any day of the week with only one arm.”

Totosai rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Kagome. “You have something for me, I believe?” he asked her, ignoring Yash’s growls and mutterings.

Kagome held out the duffel bag. “Yes, Totosai-sensei,” she replied.

He huffed at her use of the honorific. “Totosai is fine, Higurashi,” he said, but was clearly pleased with her politeness. “You have a nice girl, Inuyasha,” he told his former student.

Now it was Yash’s turn to look pleased.

Totosai took the duffel bag from Kagome. He settled himself on the mat and opened the zipper. He took out the box, which was covered now with Kagome’s quickly-made ofudas. He held up the box to his face and appeared to sniff it. He turned it around and around in his hands, inspecting every angle. Yash and Kagome settled on the mat nearby, watching him with interest.

At last he set the box down and looked hard at the two of them. Kagome withered a little under his gaze, but Yash held Totosai’s eyes steady.

“Tell me again where you found this,” Totosai said.

Kagome and Yash looked at each other. “It was in the shed at my family’s shrine,” Kagome said slowly.

Totosai nodded and clucked his tongue.

“Do you—know how it might have gotten there?” she asked.

Totosai clucked his tongue again. “Did you put these ofudas on here, Higurashi?” he asked her instead.

“I did,” she answered honestly. “They’re not the best, but they’re holding for now.”

Totosai smirked. “I’m going to open this,” he said. He looked at Yash. “Be prepared.” Yash pulled Kagome into his lap and held onto her tightly. Totosai’s smirk became a grimace and he set about removing the ofudas. They crackled a bit against his youki, but he simply grunted and continued on his mission, apparently not feeling the burns against his skin.

“These are stronger ofudas than I thought they’d be,” he commented. “You did well, Higurashi.”

Kagome blushed under the praise and Yash squeezed her shoulders.

“Hang tight, now,” Totosai said simply, removing the last ofuda. The box quivered, but not even close to as much as when Kagome first opened the box. Totosai was able to lift the lid quite easily, and he peered down at the kusarigama.

They could hear Totosai’s breath catch. “Stunning,” he whispered, and took the weapon out of the box. He turned the blade of the sickle over in his hand, feeling the smoothness of the bone. He closed his eyes and continued to feel the weapon gently, taking care to not cut himself on the edge of the blade. Yash couldn’t believe that the kusarigama wasn’t attacking Totosai. But then again, the old man was a full youkai who’d always had a way with weapons.

At last, Totosai opened his eyes. “This is quite a weapon you have here, Inuyasha,” Totosai said.

“What can you tell us about it, Ojiji?” Yash asked.

“The jyaki you’re feeling from this weapon isn’t from the owner,” Totosai said. “It’s from the youkai whose bone made this weapon.”

Kagome gasped, but Yash nodded. To him, it made perfect sense.

“And the youkai was…”

“A tsurube-otoshi,” Totosai finished.

“Really.” Now _this_ was surprising to Yash. “I’m shocked that one let someone get close enough to kill it. And I’m shocked that some fool had the bright idea to turn its bones into a weapon.”

“What’s a tsurube-otoshi?” Kagome asked.

“A demon that drops out of the trees and devours humans as they walk past,” Yash said with a look of disgust. Kagome shivered.

“How long do you think this has been sealed, Ojiji?” Yash asked Totosai.

Totosai held the blade up to his face again, carefully sniffing it. Yash and Kagome could both detect the jyaki practically humming at Totosai’s touch.

“It likes you, Ojiji,” Yash said, smirking. “You better watch out. It possessed Kagome earlier.”

Totosai looked up from the kusarigama, shocked. “Is that how you hurt your wrist?” He asked. Kagome nodded and gently fingered the wrap on her left wrist.

“That is…surprising,” he said, “although I guess not completely unexpected, given Higurashi’s incredible reiki.” He smirked. “You light up like a beacon, girlie.”

Kagome blushed again. Yash growled menacingly. “She does, Inuyasha,” Totosai said simply. “The kusarigama is going to view her as a threat.”

“So what do we do with it?” Yash asked.

Totosai considered his question for a moment. “You said it had incredible jyaki radiating off it when you first opened the box, correct?” Yash and Kagome nodded. “And then Higurashi was able to contain it with her reiki?” They nodded again. Totosai sighed. “So it’s hard to tell, then, if the jyaki has been fully contained, or if it’s going to go crazy again.” He placed the weapon back in its box and replaced the lid. He looked at Yash. “Hold on to it for now, and keep an eye on it.”

“Why the hell should I have to do that?” Yash exclaimed. “You’re the weapons expert!”

“I have—hrm—plans—over the next few days, and would rather not have it on my person,” Totosai stuttered, not making eye contact with Yash.

“Plans with a bottle,” Yash muttered. Kagome looked shocked.

“Keep an eye on it,” Totosai repeated, ignoring his former student. “And see if you and Higurashi can figure out a way to contain it. If not, bring it back Sunday.”

“Great,” Yash said. He put the box and his Tetsusaiga in the duffel, rose, and pulled Kagome to her feet. “As always, really fucking helpful, Ojiji.”

Totosai shrugged. “You should be able to figure this one out on your own, Inuyasha,” he replied. “You are strong enough, and so is your girl.”

Yash growled. “Come on, baby girl,” he said gruffly, “looks like we wasted our time here.”

“Inuyasha!” Totosai called after him. Yash stopped.

“Once upon a time, you craved the ultimate power,” Totosai said. “You have done well to accept who you are and you have trained your body to be the best that it can be. Do not allow yourself to be tempted by the power that this kusarigama can offer you.”

Yash rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Ojiji,” he shot back. “If you’re not gonna help, that’s fine, but don’t go spouting nonsense about the past.” He turned to Kagome. “Do you think ramen at your mother’s is still on the table?”

“Of course, but…”

“Great. Let’s go.” He grabbed her right hand. “See ya around, Ojiji.”

They left Totosai still sitting on the floor of the dojo. Once they were outside, Kagome ripped her hand out of Yash’s.

“’Gome?”

“What is _wrong_ with you?” she hissed. “He just wants us to fix this ourselves if we can. Why do you have to be such a jerk?”

Yash’s ears flattened against his head. “He could have just told me over the phone that we had to fix it ourselves,” he mumbled, turning his face away from her.

“He wanted to check your skills, Yash,” she said softly. “He is your old teacher, after all.”

“Keh,” he replied.

“Can I ask you something?” she said.

He turned his face back to her, ears twitching in anticipation.

“What did Totosai mean?” Kagome asked. “When he said that you once ‘craved the ultimate power.’ What did he mean by that?”

Yash frowned; this was a conversation he would have preferred not to have.

“Yash?” Kagome said tentatively, lacing her fingers through his again.

Yash hefted the duffel over his shoulder and led her down the block to the train station. “When I was…a lot younger,” he began. _How to tell her this_?

“When you were a lot younger…what?” she asked.

“You know why I don’t like my full name,” he said. She nodded. “People…humans and youkai…I didn’t fit in anywhere. They made sure of that.” He frowned, remembering exactly what people had done to keep him in his place. His poor ears still seared with phantom pain when he thought about the particular torture they had suffered at the hands of others.

“I used to wish I was a full youkai, instead of half. Then I’d have the power to crush anyone who bullied me, who tortured my mother. I could…” Yash sighed. “I could destroy them all.”

Kagome was silent. He wasn’t sure how to take that.

“But you didn’t,” she said finally in a soft voice.

He gripped her hand tighter. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t try! Fuck,” he cursed, “I tried everything to get rid of my human side. I went to dark mikos, to youkai with jyaki that would put the jyaki from this weapon to shame. Whatever I could. My brother…my _half_ -brother,” he sneered, “left me for dead after my mother was killed. He is a full youkai, and I was an embarrassment. I thought if I could become full youkai, I could kill him and take my rightful place in the family.”

“Yash,” Kagome breathed.

“But then I met Totosai-ojiji,” he continued, “he’d been my father’s friend and teacher. He gave me the Tetsusaiga, and taught me how to use it. Through him, I learned kendo, and later, kenjutsu, koryuu, and jujutsu. He taught me how to use my body, how to honor it, and how to control it. Eventually, I didn’t feel like a reject, or a dirty half-breed. I was honored that my father left the Tetsusaiga for _me_ , not for my bastard of a half-brother. Sess wasn’t pleased; we spent a long time fighting over that. It’s only been the past fifty years or so that we’ve been able to be in the same room. And only the last twenty years where we can spar without one of us legitimately trying to kill the other.”

“So kendo and kenjutsu…”

“They saved my life, baby girl,” he said bluntly. “And probably the lives of people I would have otherwise killed. They’ve given me purpose, and a livelihood—one that I actually enjoy.” His eyes traveled down to her, and his gaze softened. “They gave me you.”

Kagome blushed. “Yash…”

He chuckled, dropping a kiss to the top of her hair. “Let’s get back to your mother, okay? We have a lot to do before tomorrow.”

Kagome smiled and snuggled closer to him. "Right," she said. "We have a meet to win."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash is prepping for the meet, but Kagome has other ideas on how they should spend their time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello, hello! Time for a little lemon break for Yash and Kagome as they prep for their meet!

“Gods, Higurashi-san,” Yash said, reaching to refill his bowl, “this might be the best ramen I’ve ever had.”

Mrs. Higurashi flushed at the compliment.

“Ramen is Yash’s favorite meal, Mama,” Kagome said, laughing. “You’ve made a fan for life, now.”

“You’ll just have to come back and have ramen with us more often, Yash-kun,” Mrs. Higurashi said, taking his bowl and refilling it herself. He grinned and dug back in, slurping down the noodles.

Kagome smiled and watched Yash devour his mother’s cooking. Whatever else had happened that day, it felt so _right_ , so _natural_ , to have Yash at their table, eating with them, like they were all family.

“Where is Souta tonight, Mama?” Kagome asked.

Mrs. Higurashi frowned. “He said something about staying at school. Between us,” she lowered her voice conspiratorially, “I think he has a girlfriend.”

“Mama!” Kagome couldn’t believe her mother.

“What?” Mrs. Higurashi giggled and leaned over to squeeze Yash on the shoulder. “I just want to see my children settled and happy.” Yash turned a little red under her affections. “If you don’t have to leave too early tomorrow, you’ll see him in the morning.”

“Actually—” Kagome began.

“We have a meet tomorrow, Higurashi-san,” Yash broke in. “I need to meet my assistant coach beforehand, and we’ll be catching the train and going right to the university from here.”

“You’ll stay for breakfast at least?” Mrs. Higurashi asked.

“If it’s as delicious as dinner, I wouldn’t miss it.” He gave her a fanged grin.

Kagome collected the bowls and rose to put them in the kitchen sink. Yash stood and went to the sink to join her. “I’ll wash; you dry,” he said.

“That’s not necessary,” Mrs. Higurashi said.

Kagome turned. She put her arms around her mother. “Mama,” she said. “You work so hard. Let us clean up. Go take a bath and go to bed early. Or read. Or stay up late and watch trashy romance dramas.” She smiled. “Just relax.”

Mrs. Higurashi sighed and held her daughter tightly. “Thanks, dear,” she said simply. She looked from her daughter to Yash. “Don’t stay up too late, you two,” she added with a wink. They heard her climb the stairs and go into her room.

“So, baby girl,” said Yash with a fanged grin, turning on the faucet, “what else is there to do for fun around here?”

* * *

Of all the places Yash ever thought he’d have passionate, mind-blowing sex, his girlfriend’s childhood bedroom was probably last on that list. Or, close to last.

But if he was being honest, it was actually kind of, maybe, a little bit hot.

Okay, it was actually _a lot_ hot.

Her room was like a teenage girl’s paradise. The walls were purple; there was a white bookcase stuffed full of books and photos; there was a wooden desk with a stack of old textbooks and a white desk lamp. A closet with wooden slat doors was on the wall opposite the desk, behind the bed. A small vanity, a dresser, and a white toy box completed the furniture. The one window in the room was quite large and slid open and closed. The tatami was soft and smooth under Yash’s feet.

But the bed! A Western-style bed, complete with mattress and box spring, with a pink comforter dotted with flowers, white sheets, and topped with pink pillows. Typically, Yash would have rolled his eyes at the sugary sweetness of it all, but yet here he was, fucking her brains out on that little-girl bed, covering her moans with his mouth to keep her quiet, feeling her nails rake down his naked back in her attempt to stay silent.

It had started innocently enough. Yash was on the phone with Sango, going over plans for the meet. He was laying sprawled out on her bed, his laptop open, watching the video Sango had procured for them as they chatted. He had his notebook out, scribbling away, planning out their matchups for the first round.

Kagome, on the other hand, was sitting at her desk, laptop open, sifting through emails while also reading through student response papers. Normally Yash’s voice was comforting to her, but at that moment, it was a reminder of what they weren’t supposed to be doing in her room, with her mother down the hall and her grandfather on the first floor of the house.

She internally groaned. After eight years with Hojo, she now actively rebelled against anything that anyone told her she had to do, or anything that she was expected to do. Hojo would _never_ have wanted to have sex with her (because really, with him, it couldn’t be called “fucking”) anywhere but their bed at their apartment; the shrine would definitely have been off limits.

But now, the low, pleasant growl of Yash’s voice as he chatted with Sango was hitting her somewhere deep in the core of her body. She was attuned to every lilt and every rumble; he was bringing her along on the ride that was the tone of his voice. It was pushing and pulling her; she began to think of all the things he could be whispering in her ear with that voice. And suddenly, she started rubbing her thighs together because just the sound of him talking to Sango was turning her on to the point where she couldn’t concentrate anymore.

And _fuck_ if she was going to be the only one.

Slowly, she turned her head just a bit. Yash was still chatting with Sango; he was engrossed in one of his team’s films. He was totally distracted.

She smiled softly. Time to get to work.

* * *

“I know, Sango, but Sato’s _shikake waza_ has really improved, and I think we should give him a chance this week against a stronger opponent,” Yash was saying. He and Sango regularly disagreed about who to start in the individual portions of the meets; this time, he was convinced that Sato could really contribute on an individual level. “Look at this technique here, Sango,” he said. “At 2:35 in the video.”

“I don’t know, Yash,” Sango’s voice crackled over the speaker phone.

“Trust me on this one, Nakamura,” he chuckled. “When have my instincts ever been wrong?”

As Sango started to list all the times his instincts had, in fact, been _very_ wrong, he got a hint of arousal coming from Kagome. He looked up; she was still working at her laptop. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the scent. She was working; there was no way she was turned on.

But then, as he tried to go over Sato’s technique with his assistant coach some more, it hit him again: stronger, cloying, suffocating. He stifled a moan.

“Hold on, Sango,” he said suddenly. He put her on mute. “Kagome?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” came the clipped reply. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“F—f—fine,” he sputtered.

“Don’t you have to finish your conversation with Sango?” she asked him, a hint of amusement in her voice, even though he couldn’t see her face.

 _Fuck_ , there is was again, and now, it was coming in waves, rolling over him, freezing him in place.

“Yash?” came Sango’s voice over the phone. “You still there?”

Remembering he was supposed to be working, he took himself off mute. “I’m—I’m here,” he choked out.

“So, Tanaka has really developed her _oji waza_ ,” Sango said, “and I think she could easily take one of the tougher opponents now. I think we could put her against that beast from Waseda. She could hold her own, and she’s small enough that she could easily avoid his attacks.”

“Sure, sure,” Yash said. “Whatever you think is best.”

“Do you _want_ to have this conversation right now, Yash?” Sango asked, a hint of laughter coming through the speaker. “What are you even doing?”

Then Kagome turned around in her desk chair and opened her legs. Yash’s tongue fell out of his mouth. Somehow, without him noticing, she had slipped off both her tights and her underwear, and her right hand was working its way around every inch of her sex, while her wrapped left wrist was flung casually over the back of her chair.

_Kagome. I’m doing Kagome. In about two minutes._

“Sango,” Yash said hurriedly, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“But, Yash—” was all he heard before he hung up. He closed his laptop, picked it up, went to slip it under the bed, thought better of it, and decided instead to put it on the tiny nightstand and hope for the best. He leaned back against the closet, his hands clasped behind his head, grinning at her.

“I thought you were supposed to be working.”

One finger slipped into her core. “I _am_ working, Yash,” she replied impatiently, adjusting herself as she worked her finger around her walls, searching for her G-spot. She moaned softly when she found it.

“On your schoolwork.”

“This is more important than schoolwork.” She added a second finger, and hissed at the way it expanded her insides. She paused her ministrations long enough to hold his gaze. “I think this might be a group project, though.”

Yash growled and leapt from the bed; he kneeled at her side by the desk chair. She removed her fingers from her core; he took them in his mouth and sucked on them gently. She growled, then grabbed the sides of his face with her fingers and yanked him to her. Their foreheads rested against each other; amber eyes locked on to blue-gray.

“Inuyasha,” Kagome breathed, “I need you.”

“In your mother’s house?”

“In the bed I used to touch myself in,” she added in a sultry tone.

His breath hitched and he gently raised his lips to hers.

They had kissed many, many times; but for some reason, in this moment, to Yash, this kiss was beyond anything he’d ever experienced with her. Her lips were soft, hot, yielding. She parted them quickly and he invaded her mouth with his tongue, nipping along her lips and drawing the faintest blood. She moaned slightly; he was suddenly intimately aware of her tongue as a muscle: pulsing and heated as it tangled with and resisted his own. The feeling made him so hard his cock throbbed as if in pain.

Kagome slid forward a bit in the desk chair; Yash moved his face down her body, rubbing himself against the soft material of her dress like a puppy, covering her with his scent. He stopped in front of her soft folds and inhaled.

“Fuck,” he grunted. “You smell divine.”  
  
“I know how you like the way I smell,” she said, her voice full of lust. “Why do you think I got myself ready for you?”

“Dammit, baby girl,” he whispered. “You are fucking perfect.” And he buried his face in her sex, staying there for a moment, breathing in her thick scent and relishing the closeness to her slickness and her heat. She ran her hands through his hair, stopping to massage the downy softness of his ears. He growled against her tiny bundle of nerves and she let out a loud moan that immediately became a squeak when she remembered where they were and who was two doors down the hall.

“You gotta keep it down, baby girl,” he said, his face still pressed between her legs. “Or I’m not gonna finish what I’m about to start.”

“Yash,” she breathed.

“Do you promise?” he asked. He gave the whole of her tenderness a luxurious lick, and she quivered.

Kagome gripped his hair in her hands. “Ye—es.” 

With her promise, Yash quickly went to work. He ran his tongue up and down her folds, circling her swollen bud and giving it small sucks, then back down to her opening, where he inserted his tongue fast and quick. He settled into a pattern of circles and thrusts, and then, just when she would start to feel the tension build, he pulled away for a second, gently licking her just enough to keep her desire fresh, but allowing it to recede a tiny bit. She moaned softly, remembering her promise, not wanting him to stop altogether.

Suddenly, he pulled back, and she hissed at the sudden loss of contact. Yash looked up at her, his amber eyes fiery and dark.

“I thought this was a group project, Higurashi,” he rumbled.

Her breath hitched; she immediately pulled her dress up over her head and unhooked her bra with her good hand, then tossed it aside. She was now fully naked before him, and she reached up and began to massage her breasts, swiftly and harshly. She rolled her nipples between her fingers and pinched them, keening quietly with the force of her efforts.

“That’s a good girl,” he breathed. “I like working on projects with you.” And he dove back between the juncture of her thighs, feeling her grow wetter at the added pleasure. He gently slipped one finger, then another, into her slick heat, scissoring his fingers slightly inside her. His ministrations made Kagome squeeze her nipples even more tightly, and she moaned softly and squirmed under his touch. Their combined efforts brought Kagome to the brink; one last suck on her tender bud, plus the knowledge that she had to be silent, pushed her over the edge. She came undone in a sea of sighs, soft groans, and harsh whispers of his name. Yash removed his fingers and grinned at her as he licked them clean, quivering at her taste.

Kagome sat up in the chair. “Your turn,” she hissed. She rose, pulled him to standing, and deftly slipped off his shirt in one movement, Yash eagerly raising his arms to allow her to do so. She pressed her face against his chest, burying it in his soft silver chest hairs as she made her way down to the waistband of his jeans, kissing him lightly, inhaling his deep, musky scent. Her fingers worked open the button of his jeans, then tugged down the zipper. With a yank, she dragged down his jeans and boxer briefs, stopping to kiss his cock on the way. Yash chuckled and lifted one foot, then the other, as she unclothed him fully. Kagome then reached into her bag, which was beside the chair, and pulled out a condom. She unwrapped it and rolled it down his cock, enjoying the feel of the shaft pulsing under her grasp. She leaned forward and kissed him fiercely, tasting herself on his lips. “Bed. Now,” she said in between nips at his lower lip.

Yash growled and lifted her into his arms. The room was so small that he simply had to turn and deposit her on the bed. She pulled him forward and licked his lips instead of kissing him; he hissed at the feel of her tongue on his lips and his fangs. Yash positioned himself over her, then pushed forward and buried himself in her core. She opened and closed her mouth, working it silently as she grew adjusted to the feel of him inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him to move in and out of her with every squeeze of her thighs. He nuzzled her neck, then gave a start as she pinched his ass. He felt her breathy chuckle against his cheek.

“I can’t help it,” she whispered. “It’s so firm and I just… _want you_.” He growled softly and drove into her as hard and as fast as the bed would allow. Fuck, she felt so fucking good, it was hard for him to remember he had to be quiet.

Instead, he covered her mouth with hers, nipping at her with his fangs. He nicked her and tasted blood. He pulled back for a moment, but she wrapped her legs around him tighter and yanked him closer.

“No,” she breathed, kissing him harshly. “A little blood never hurt anyone.”

“Kagome,” he whispered, unleashing a little of his youki to comfort her. Her reiki rushed out to join it. The combined power of their auras made them both moan silently, heightening their feelings and the physical experience. He could _feel_ every inch of her walls pulsing around him; it was almost too much.

“Here, Yash,” Kagome breathed. “Let’s try something different.” She pushed him off her; he whined at the loss of contact. But what he saw next made his cock throb so hard he almost came right there.

Kagome had rolled over on the mattress so she was on all fours, her glorious ass wiggling at him, her eyes bright and inviting as she looked over her shoulder at him.

“Fuck, baby girl,” Yash said quietly. “Are you sure?”

Kagome said nothing, but wiggled her ass at him again and grinned. Yash rose to his knees on the mattress and grabbed her hips, pulling them harshly to him. He ran his cock along her dripping slit and pushed in, burying himself fully in her heat. They both moaned softly at the depth he was able to reach this way.

Slowly, slowly, Yash began to move. It was taking all of his power to keep it together; she’d never offered this position before, and had no idea it was an inu youkai mating position. His youki was going apeshit and would not stop flowing around them both. It was begging him to speed it up and slam into her as hard as he could, but Yash was fully aware that they were in her mother’s house, and he could not risk the noise that would surely come with the kind of fucking he wanted to give her. Instead, he leaned forward over her, careful not to crush her, and peppered her back with little kisses and bites. She shuddered and pressed her face into her pillow to keep herself from screaming. He slowly allowed more and more of his body weight to fall on top of her, pushing her down into the mattress, all the while still moving in and out of her core. Yash parted her legs a little to give himself more space to thrust, lifted her hips just a bit, and proceeded to fuck her gently, whispering words of love in her ear, raising her up just enough for him to slip an arm about her shoulders and hold her. They were so close, so tight together; it was as though they were moving as one. Her hips rose and fell with his; he ground his cock inside of her, feeling her walls quiver with the closeness.

“Yash,” whispered Kagome into her pillow, her reiki searing up around her.

“What is it, baby girl?” he asked tenderly, releasing a little bit more of his youki and bringing her reiki back to earth. Their auras intertwined again; Kagome turned her head to the side and sighed.

“Feels good,” she murmured. “Love you.”

His youki howled and Yash hitched up her hips a bit more to give him better access. “I’m gonna give it to you now, baby girl,” he growled, feeling his cock pulse at the new angle.

Kagome moaned softly. “You feel so good, Yash,” she said again. “I’m close.” She reached her good hand between her legs to rub herself. Her body began to shake uncontrollably. Her reiki burst up and wrapped itself around Yash’s youki.

Yash growled again and pulled her hips flush against his pelvis. He thrust against her once, twice, then felt her walls shake and her body go stiff as he made her world explode. He gave her one more deep thrust, emptied his load into the condom, and collapsed on top of her, careful not to crush her.

They lay there, together, Yash still buried in her core, enjoying the feel of each other. He suddenly scented salt. Was she crying?

Frantically, Yash unsheathed himself and rolled her onto her side. Her large blue-gray eyes stared back at him, tears threatening to spill over. “’Gome?” he said. “You okay?”

She sighed and pulled him close to her, kissing him softly. “I’m so, so great,” she whispered. “How do you keep making this better?”

He grinned and kissed her back. “I have you,” he whispered. “You are what makes this great.”

Kagome blushed and nuzzled the space between his neck and his shoulder. He gasped; how did she know this was the spot for a mating mark?

“Baby girl,” he murmured, gently running his claws through her hair.

“Mmm?”

“Nothing.” He nestled himself against her and closed his eyes, enjoying the stability of her breath and the softness of her body pressed against him. He drifted off thinking about how he wanted this, so desperately, every night for the rest of his long life.

In its box, safely sealed with ofudas, the kusarigama began to glow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash meets Kagome's brother, who doesn't welcome Yash as kindly as Mrs. H.; Kagome has a run-in with Kikyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a minute, but I wanted to have a full draft ready before I posted anymore of the story. And I do, and it ended up a little longer than I intended, but it's done! You'll get Chapters 8 and 9 today, and 10-12 in a few days. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

“I can’t believe we overslept, Yash!” Kagome moaned, throwing her papers and books into her backpack haphazardly. “We’re gonna be late to the meet!”

Yash lay in bed still, watching Kagome scramble about the room. He smiled lazily; he didn’t really care if they were late. They’d been up half the night—his cheeks flushed at the thought of why—and he’d slept well for the first time in he couldn’t remember how long. Normally, he would be up, watching Kagome sleep if they were together, or watching something mindless on television, if he was alone. He didn’t know if it was the aura surrounding the shrine, or their lovemaking, or some combination of the two, but he felt completely, and totally, at peace.

“How can you just lay there?” she chastised him, tossing him his Tokyo U light blue polo shirt. “We’ve got to get going!”

That got him moving. Yash sat up, chuckling at her. “Calm down, ‘Gome,” he said easily. “It’ll be fine. We have at least four hours until the meet.”

She paused her frantic packing to gape at him. “I thought it was at noon?”

“Two.” He pulled his phone off the nightstand and showed her his calendar. “We don’t have to leave here until noon.”

Kagome groaned and dipped her head back in frustration. Yash’s chuckles became a full laugh as he got out of bed and put his arms around her. “It’s my fault,” he said. “I should have been more specific.”

“I really thought you said we had to be there at noon,” she said grumpily, hiding her face in his chest.

He held her out at arm’s length and kissed her. “Go take a shower,” he ordered. “Relax. I’ll go see about some breakfast.”

“You need a shower too,” she said, eyeing his body with lust in her eyes.

“I’m not gonna shower with you in your mama’s house, baby girl,” he laughed. He pinched her ass. “I’ll shower quick before we go.”

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him cutely as she opened the door to leave the room. Once the door was shut behind her, Yash quickly pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. He reached under Kagome’s bed and pulled out the duffel bag that held the kusarigama. He unzipped the bag and opened the sides wide.

The kusarigama still rested quietly in its box, the ofudas Kagome had reapplied holding it steady. They would hopefully last until tomorrow, when he and Kagome planned to go back to Totosai and demand that he help them purify it. Yash knew that the old man had insisted that they do it themselves, without his help, but Yash at the very least wanted Totosai there with them, in case something went wrong with the purification process. He needed a second to help him protect Kagome. Her wrist was still tender this morning, and he would be damned if he was gonna let her do whatever it took to purify the weapon. She could help, but her safety was paramount.

Yash turned to the wall next to Kagome’s desk. Resting there was his Tetsusaiga. He planned to carry it to the meet in the same bag as the kusarigama, but he didn’t want to leave them together for too long. The Tetsusaiga thrived on demonic energy, and while Yash’s youki was generally good, the negative energy coming off the sickle was strong, and frightening. He didn’t want the Tetsusaiga to be swayed by the jyaki. Yash zipped up the duffel and sat it on Kagome’s bed. He laid out his polo shirt and dark gray khakis for after breakfast, and smiled as he looked around Kagome’s room one last time. The air in the room still smelled like them and like sex. He liked that their scents were so intertwined; if it were up to him, he would keep it that way forever. But he knew that, despite her love for him, she wasn’t quite ready to make that commitment yet. He just hoped this weekend was playing a role in changing her mind.

Before heading downstairs, Yash slid the bedroom window open. While it killed him to eliminate the delectable scents in the room, he knew that Kagome would appreciate the fresh air and his efforts. He left his things and the duffel on the bed and slipped out the door.

From the hallway, Yash could hear the shower running. He was glad she was taking the time to get cleaned up before seeing her family. Yash didn’t particularly care, since they weren’t youkai and wouldn’t be able to tell that he and Kagome smelled like each other, but Kagome cared a lot. And he wanted her to be comfortable in her childhood home. Yash hoped it was a place they would be spending a lot more time in the years to come.

The water stopped and Yash realized he’d been daydreaming practically outside the bathroom door. He hightailed it down the stairs and into the kitchen before Kagome could step outside and wonder what in the hells he was doing, loitering in the hallway like that. He found Mrs. Higurashi sitting at the kitchen table, sipping tea, with a young man Yash didn’t recognize. His blue-black hair and his scent told Yash this was Kagome’s brother.

“Oh, good morning, Yash-kun,” Mrs. Higurashi said fondly, rising when she saw him standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Come have a seat. Would you like some breakfast?”

“Good morning, Higurashi-san,” he replied, feeling his face flush as the young man scowled at him. “I’d love some breakfast.”

“This is my son, Souta,” she said, putting together a breakfast tray for Yash. “Souta, this is Taisho Yash, Kagome’s boyfriend.”

Yash bobbed his head hello. “Taisho Yash, Tokyo University kendo coach. Nice to meet you, Higurashi-kun,” he said politely, sitting across from Souta.

“Higurashi Souta, Waseda University,” Souta grumbled. “I help out around the shrine when my sister’s not here, too.” He gave Yash a vicious once-over; Yash held his gaze steady. Apparently the acceptance in this family only went so far as the women.

“Souta,” admonished his mother, setting a tray of food in front of Yash. “Yash-kun is our guest. You’ll be respectful.”

Souta mumbled under his breath so that his mother couldn’t hear what he said, but Yash heard it. “Who needs to be respectful to a damn half-breed?” is what he had said.

_He’s Kagome’s little brother_ , Yash told himself silently. _You cannot kick his scrawny ass into next week. You cannot_.

“So Kagome said you have a meet today, Yash-kun?” Mrs. Higurashi asked, setting a mug of tea before him and one at her place at the table.

Yash nodded. “Itadakimasu,” he said, then took a bite of grilled salmon and rice. “This is amazing, Higurashi-san,” he added, amazed. “I haven’t had a traditional breakfast in a long time.”

“I would guess not, living alone,” Mrs. Higurashi chuckled. “It’s hard to make it for just one person.”

Souta, meanwhile, could not stop staring at Yash, his eyes narrowed. Yash ignored Kagome’s brother, calmly eating his breakfast. “Maybe you could teach your daughter how to cook?” Yash commented. “We eat out so much, and it would be nice for us to be able to eat at home more often.”

“You know why I don’t cook more, Yash,” came a familiar voice from the doorway, “remember how I almost burned down your kitchen?”

Yash looked up and grinned. He was _so_ happy to see her. She was wearing her Tokyo University polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants; her long hair was tied up in a high ponytail, curls falling over her shoulder. Fuck, how did she make the boring old school uniform look so fucking _sexy_?

“Good morning, dear,” Mrs. Higurashi said. “Breakfast?”

“Sure, Mama,” Kagome said. “I’ll help myself, though, thanks.”

“Aren’t you gonna say hi, sis?” grumbled her brother.

Kagome turned her brilliant smile on Souta. “Long time no see, little brother,” she said, ruffling his hair. “I see you met Yash already.”

Souta’s face soured, but Kagome missed it. Instead she made herself a breakfast tray and slipped into the seat between Souta and Yash.

“How did you sleep, dear?” Mrs. Higurashi asked.

Yash preened a little as Kagome flushed. “Really…really well, Mama.”

“You two have quite a day today, right?”

“We do!” Kagome said enthusiastically. “We haven’t had a meet at home in a while. It will be fun to have the home crowd cheering for us.”

“And what exactly do you do at the meet, sis?” asked Souta. “Are you the arm candy?”

“Souta!” Kagome exclaimed.

“That’s enough!” his mother admonished.

Yash’s face hardened. “Your sister is the best team manager I’ve ever had,” he said fiercely. “She’s got excellent observational and notetaking skills, she calculates percentages for us, and she’s helped us win matches. She is nobody’s ‘arm candy.’”

“Yash,” Kagome breathed.

Souta grumbled something again under his breath.

“And it’s fine if you don’t like me,” Yash added, “but under no circumstances should you be disrespecting your mother or your sister. This is your mother’s home, and she was kind enough to invite me to stay.”

“But I’m the man of the house,” Souta countered, “and I don’t like you being here.”

“Souta!” Kagome exclaimed again.

“Souta,” said Mrs. Higurashi, in a deadly quiet tone,” I understand that Yash-kun is not fully…human…” she looked at him apologetically, and he felt his heart soar with warmth for the woman, “but that does not mean that you can treat him in such an appalling manner. He is your elder and he deserves your respect. And being the man of the house means that you act in a manner appropriate to your station,” she added. “It does not mean mumbling racist epithets under your breath.” Souta’s eyes widened at the realization that his mother could hear him. “That title is something you earn, not something you’re born into.”

Kagome’s face shone with love for her mother. Souta, on the other hand, jumped up and ran from the table.

“What are they teaching him at that school?” asked Mrs. Higurashi exasperatedly.

“I’ll go, Mama,” Kagome said, getting up. She kissed Yash on the cheek. “Eat your breakfast, then go get ready,” she said. “We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”

Kagome left Yash in the safe protection of her mother and ran outside. She found her brother fairly quickly, leaning under their Goshinboku, his arms crossed, his face impassive.

“Hey,” she said softly. Souta grunted and turned away from her.

“This isn’t about Yash being a hanyou, really, is it?” she asked him.

“How can you trust a guy like him, sis?” Souta burst out. “If that’s his heritage, how can you know anything about him, really?”

“I know all I need to know, Souta,” Kagome replied. “He’s a thousand times the man that Hojo was.”

“So you think,” Souta retorted. “What if he’s not?”

“Then that’s my mistake to make,” Kagome told him. She sighed; Souta let her slip an arm around his shoulders. “I appreciate you trying to protect me,” she said. “I really do. But you have to let me make my own mistakes.” She paused. “In this case, Yash is not a mistake. Trust me.”

“That guy was such an ass,” Souta muttered, meaning Hojo. Kagome had to stifle a laugh.

“Yeah, he really was,” she agreed. “But give Yash a chance. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Being a hanyou does not define him, Souta. Don’t let it be all that you see.”

Souta was silent for a few minutes. Kagome rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m really shit at being the man of the house, huh?” he said at last.

Now Kagome couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing. “You really are,” she agreed. “But why don’t you try to be good at it instead? Come hang out with us for a few minutes before we have to leave.”

Souta followed his sister back to the house. When they went through the entryway, Kagome could hear Yash and her mother chatting away merrily about the upcoming meet. She felt her heart warm at the genuine excitement in Yash’s voice, and the genuine interest in her mother’s. Souta could see the love radiating from his sister’s face; maybe this guy was worth it, weird little dog ears and all.

* * *

When they arrived at the dojo, Sango was outside, pacing nervously, her brown ponytail bobbing up and down as she walked. She looked up at Yash’s greeting, and immediately began to yell.

“What were you two thinking?” she asked harshly. “You’re here so late!”

“Easy, Nakamura,” said Yash with a grin. “We got a little tied up at the shrine yesterday, and this morning Kagome’s little brother decided to give me a shit time.”

“He made up for it, though, by giving us a ride,” Kagome smiled. “He’s gonna come to the next home meet, too.”

Yash reached over and squeezed her shoulder, the most affection he dared pay her when they were at a meet. “I don’t know what you said to him, ‘Gome, but he definitely seemed like a different kid when you came back into the house.”

Kagome blushed. “We just had a little talk about how you aren’t Hojo,” was all she said.

Yash shifted the duffel bag holding the Tetsusaiga and the kusarigama around to his front. He took it off his shoulder and handed it to Kagome. “Keep this with you at all times,” he said seriously. “When you get inside, take out the Tetsusaiga and keep it in your lap. Keep it separate from the kusarigama. I’ve gotta go in to see the team. No one gets their hands on either of these, okay?”

Kagome nodded. “Okay. Good luck.”

Yash offered her a fanged grin. “I’ll see ya in there, Higurashi.” He turned to Sango. “Let’s go.”

Yash and Sango headed into the dojo, leaving Kagome alone with the duffel and her backpack. There was still an hour before the meet, so she decided to head in a little early and make herself comfortable at the table. If she was lucky, she’d be able to get some work done, too.

Inside, the dojo was a madhouse. Teams and spectators were milling about, and Kagome made her way through the crowds to the Tokyo U table. She settled herself down and unzipped the duffel. She put the Tetsusaiga in her lap, enjoying the feel of the cool metal, then zipped the duffel back up and slipped it under the table. She opened her backpack carefully, taking out her ledger, her laptop, and her ear buds. She had a good forty-five minutes before she was needed, and knew that Yash would signal for her when it was time. She opened her laptop, connected to the wi-fi, popped in her ear buds, and found her favorite streaming music station. She pulled up the university course management system and logged in so she could continue reading the response papers she had started the night before.

Kagome was so lost in her music and her reading that she didn’t notice a strong force of reiki coming towards her like a wall. It was so strong it almost knocked her out of her seat. But once she felt it, she knew exactly who it was, and unleashed a barrier to protect herself.

“Maeda-sensei,” Kagome said without looking up. “What brings you to the Tokyo U table?”

“I’m looking for Taisho-sensei,” Kikyo said coolly. “Do you know where he is?”

Kagome took out her ear buds and looked at the kendo coach critically. “What business could he possibly have with you?” She had to keep calm, but damn, this woman made it hard!

“It’s none of your business, team manager,” Kikyo replied.

“I can’t go into the locker rooms,” Kagome answered easily. “If you have business with him, you’ll have to wait around.” She made to put her ear buds back in when Kikyo unfurled her reiki again, trying to overpower her.

Kagome threw up a barrier again. She put her ear buds down, and rose to look Kikyo in the eye. “If you don’t mind,” she said icily, “I am trying to work here.”

“I know what you are to him, Higurashi-san,” Kikyo hissed suddenly. Kagome froze. “I know what you are, and I will tell the athletic director.”

_Fuck, fuckity, fuck._ Kagome took a breath. “Taisho-sensei is nothing more than my boss,” she replied simply. “Tell the athletic director whatever you want.”

“I see it written all over your face, Higurashi-san,” Kikyo spat. “What could you possibly see in a half-breed?”

Kagome sighed and rubbed her temples. “If you do not leave this table, Maeda-sensei, I will report you to the judges for harassment,” she said. “Now. I am going to put my barrier back up, and I am going to get back to grading my students’ response papers. I don’t have time for these games. And I certainly don’t have time for a bigot.”

Kikyo hissed again and leaned forward to grab Kagome by the shirt collar. Only someone grabbed her shirt collar first.

“Maeda-sensei,” Sango growled, “what the _fuck_ are you doing here? Did you get lost?”

Kikyo turned. “Nakamura-sensei,” she said politely. “I was simply asking your team manager where Taisho-sensei was.”

“He’s in the locker room with the team and Deguchi-sensei,” Sango replied brusquely. “Now get out of here before I physically throw you out of this fucking dojo.”

“Fine.” Kikyo made to go, but stopped for one last second. “Watch that duffel bag carefully, Higurashi,” she said to Kagome. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to its cargo.”

Kagome turned five shades of red in anger, and started to climb over the table after Kikyo, the Tetsusaiga clattering to the ground from its place on her lap, forgotten in her fury.

“Higurashi!” Sango said sharply, putting a hand on Kagome's chest. Kikyo simply turned and walked away, leaving Kagome fuming after her.

Sango watched Kikyo walk away, then turned to Kagome. “What the actual fuck, Kagome?” she exclaimed. “What is going on?”

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. “I think she came over here to get a rise out of me,” she said. “I was doing all right until the end there.”

“Yash is still in with the kendoka,” Sango said. “He sent me out here to check on you.”

“She threatened me, Sango,” Kagome said, her face turning red again. “She said she knew about me and Yash.” Sango’s face grew pale. “She said it’s ‘written all over my face.’ Is that true?”

Sango hid a grin. “Kind of?”

Kagome buried her face in her hands. “Oh gods, Sango!”

“Pull your shit together, Higurashi,” Sango replied. “Here comes the team.”

Yash was leading his kendoka out of the locker room to thunderous applause from the crowd. He looked back and forth between Sango and Kagome several times, and blinked in question at what was happening between the two of them. Sango left Kagome’s side and stopped at Yash on her way to the team.

“Tell you later,” Sango murmured to him. She went over to the kendoka. “All right,” she yelled, “who’s ready to kick some ass today?”

While Sango riled up the team, Yash took a moment to stand next to Kagome, under the pretense of checking her ledger. “You okay?” he asked her softly.

Kagome shook her head. “Maeda-sensei threatened me.” Yash started to growl. “Not here, Yash!” she begged. “Not now.”

“Taisho-sensei!” Sango called.

“We’re not done, Kagome,” Yash whispered. He put a smile on and jogged over to his team. Kagome could see the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

And it was all her fault, _again_.

Kagome sank back down into her chair and picked up the Tetsusaiga, settling it back on her lap. The cool metal seemed to calm her, help her focus. She began diligently writing out the matchups for the first team round, in need of something to distract her from the thoughts swirling in her mind. When Kikyo accused her of being involved with Yash, it was like her entire world had stopped. She’d been so happy, right up to that moment, and now, she felt a horrific tightness in her chest, like she couldn’t breathe. If Kikyo spoke to the athletic director, and if the athletic director in turn spoke to her and to Yash, it could be very, very bad. Yash could lose his job. Kagome could lose her job _and_ her assistantship. They could try to lie, but outside of school, they didn’t exactly keep their relationship a secret. Her family knew, Sango knew, Miroku knew, Totosai knew, Yash’s neighbors knew, _her_ neighbors knew…

As far as Kagome could tell, she had two choices. She could quit her job, or she could break it off with Yash. Neither option was ideal, but she didn’t have much choice. If she quit her job, she wouldn’t have enough money to keep her apartment. If she broke it off with Yash, she could keep her job…but would she even want to? Could she handle seeing him every day, feeling how she felt about him?

Kagome watched Yash in the middle of his team, enthusiastically giving directions and motivating his kendoka. Her body grew warm and tingly, despite her hesitations. He saw her watching him and gave her a wink. She shivered. He grinned.

She _loved him_. She couldn’t leave him. So, that option was off the table.

But she loved her job, too. And unless she was ready to move in with Yash—or move back home—she needed the job.

Was she ready to live with him? To share her life with someone again? Wasn’t that what they’d been doing all along?

She thought back to the last twenty-four hours. Yash met her mother and her brother; he helped her with his research; they investigated that jyaki-infused kusarigama; they had passionate sex in her childhood bedroom. Kagome felt her cheeks heat up at how he took her, lying down, screaming into her frilly pink childhood pillow. She thought of Yash and her mother at the breakfast table; of him watching her get dressed in the morning; of the way that his youki caressed and cared for her reiki. Never had she felt safer than with him; never had she felt more loved.  
  
So what was she so fucking scared of, then?

“Higurashi!” Sango yelped, bringing her back to reality. Kagome blinked at Sango expectantly. “The first matches are about to start!” Sango snapped.

“Right, sorry!” Kagome chirped, shutting her laptop and whipping out a pencil. Her fingers itched to take notes, to lose themselves in the thrill of the matches...anything to take them away from the reality of her situation.

For the first time during a meet, Kagome’s sharp eyes worked overtime to catch every move, to mark down every point scored for and against Tokyo U’s kendoka. She watched every flash of the wrist, every spin, every step to the side. She wanted to capture it all and be perfect. Not for herself: not because she wanted to show how good she was at her job. But because she wanted to show everyone there how good Yash was at his.

The first round of matches ended, and Kagome was pleased to see that Tokyo U had won all five of their matches. There would be another first round of matches, then a break, then a second round, and so on. Then the top two performers from each team would make it to an individual competition, where their placements in the team competition would dictate their rankings for the individual. Kagome watched as the first round of Tokyo U kendoka jogged back to their coaches, obviously pleased with their work.

“Higurashi-kun!” Yash called. Kagome looked up. “Can you give us a report?”

“Sure,” Kagome said, checking her ledger. Yash trotted over to the table, and gestured for the kendoka to join him. When his athletes arrived, Yash had them gather round the table so they could hear Kagome easily.

“So we’re not overhead by other teams,” Yash said, smirking. Kagome knew he was thinking of Kikyo’s sudden appearance at their table earlier in the day.

“It looks like the team scored 60% of its points through strikes to the body,” Kagome said.

Yash frowned. “That’s too many, everyone,” he said firmly. “We tend to aim for the body too often. It’s gonna make it easy for other teams to spot our weaknesses. Aim for the wrist and the neck more next time around—try to make it hard on them to figure out what’s coming.”

“Yes, sensei!” the kendoka chorused.

“You all did well,” Yash grinned. “Take a break, and go cheer on your teammates. We’ll meet up again after this round.”

As his kendoka jogged away, Yash looked at Kagome. “Do you wanna tell me why Maeda-sensei was here today, Higurashi?” he asked.

“She claims to know,” Kagome said simply. “She was pushing her reiki all over the place, trying to intimidate me. She…”

“She what, Higurashi?” Yash’s voice was soft, despite the harshness of his words.

“She called you a half-breed.” Her voice was deadly quiet.

Yash was silent for a moment.

“So I called her a bigot,” Kagome replied, still quiet.

Yash grinned; he couldn’t help it. This was the second time today she’d defended his honor.

“And I was ready to wipe the floor with her ass when San—when Nakamura came over and put a stop to everything.” Kagome was smiling slightly now, too.

“Higurashi!” Yash said sharply, surprised by her desire to protect him.

“I know,” she said sadly. “I could get us in real trouble.” She paused; he could scent the presence of her tears. “I don’t know what to do.”

He reached over and patted her hand awkwardly. “We’ll talk about this after the meet,” he reassured her. “For now, do your job, and do it well.”

She smiled up at him; a big, beautiful smile that only he ever got to see. “Yes, sensei.”

Yash snorted. “Where’s the Tetsusaiga?”

“Right here.” She rose slightly; he could see it nestled in her lap.

“Good girl,” he said. “Make sure it stays close to you.”

“I will.”

He gave her a quick, tight smile, then went back to his kendoka, leaving Kagome to her work.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash realizes his grave mistake as he puts everyone in danger. Kikyo helps!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Enjoy!

The meet was going well; thank the gods for that. Because Yash was having a hell of a time trying to concentrate.

He could feel the jyaki of the kusarigama radiating through the duffel bag at Kagome’s feet. It was distracting to the point that he wanted to pick up the bag and hurl it as far away from the dojo as he could. Because _fuck_ , the fucking thing was actually calling out to him. Something had changed: Yash didn’t know if it was being around all the people, or the competitive atmosphere of the dojo, or being situated so close to Kagome’s reiki for so long, but something was making the sickle sing, and sing _to_ him. He prayed it wasn’t singing to anyone else.

Kagome seemed distracted, too. He knew it was partially from the visit Kikyo had paid her before the meet (and he couldn’t _wait_ to talk to Kikyo about that), but he also wondered if the kusarigama wasn’t affecting her, too. He’d insisted she hold the Tetsusaiga not only to keep the two demonic weapons apart, but also to offer her a bit of a buffer. He was really fucking worried that the thing was going to possess her again. Her reiki had subdued it once, and he didn’t know what it would do to keep her from subduing it again.

Tokyo U had three students in the top four: fantastic for a home meet. He’d be getting a solid write-up in the school paper, as well as the local Tokyo papers. Making the finals were Sato, a burly third-year with outstanding strength and decent footwork; Tanaka, a second-year who surprised Yash and Sango with her incredible improvement in her footwork and her evasion skills; and Minamoto, a fourth-year with impeccable skills with the shinai who was one of the top kendoka in the country. They were given a short break in between the final two matches, which was good, because Yash wanted to check on Kagome.

When Yash approached the team table, he was shocked at her appearance. Her eyes were tired and she was clearly having trouble staying awake. Yash had never seen her so exhausted. He knew something was up.

“Hey,” she said softly when she saw him approaching.

“Hey yourself,” he replied with a strained smile. “You don’t look so good, Higurashi.”

“I’m okay,” she replied. “Just really tired, for some reason.”

“I’m gonna move the duffel and keep it closer to me,” he said immediately. “I think the jyaki from this thing is having an effect on you.”

Kagome looked deep in thought for a moment. “Maybe so,” she said at last. “At least we’re almost done.” She smiled. “I want to go home and get in a hot tub.” She left the rest unspoken.

Yash felt tingly all of a sudden; it was hard for him to focus. “Whatever you want, Higurashi,” he replied easily. He reached under the table and grabbed the duffel. “Putting a little distance between this and you should help you feel better,” he said. “Keep the Tetsusaiga; it will protect you.”

“From what?” she asked.

Yash shrugged. “From Kikyo.”

She laughed; her face was brightening up already.

“Do you have notes for the final matches?” he asked her.

“Of course,” she grinned. She handed him the ledger, the page for the current meet open; he took it with his free hand. He paused a moment to look at her notes.

“Perfect, as always,” he complimented her. Her smile grew wider.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said.

“You better,” she teased him.

 _Oh yeah_ , he thought. _She’s feeling better._

Yash took the duffel and the ledger over to the team huddle. He put the duffel down and called Sato, Tanaka, and Minamoto to him.

“Let’s go over Higurashi-kun’s notes,” he said to them. “I think there’s some stuff in here we can use against your opponent, Tanaka-kun.”

“We already know each other well enough, Minamoto-kun,” Sato laughed.

Yash spent the next few moments chatting with his kendoka, giving advice to all three, even though Minamoto and Sato were set to face each other for the final. It was important that Yash treat all his kendoka the same.

He didn’t notice Sango pick up the duffel bag and bring it over to her chair.

He didn’t notice her unzip the bag.

If he had seen any of this, he would have moved heaven and every single fucking hell to stop her.

But he didn’t.

The next thing Yash knew, a huge purple light was shooting up from somewhere close by, and people were screaming. Frantically, he looked down and realized that the duffel bag was gone. Then, he realized with horror that Sango had it.

“Yash!” screamed Kagome, forgetting the secrecy of their relationship in her terror and using his given name. He looked over and saw Kagome pointing. He followed the line of her finger and saw…

 _Sango_.

Sango held the sickle in one hand; the chain was wrapped around her opposite wrist. Her eyes were no longer brown, but a deep, blood red.

“Sango!” Kagome yelled, and made to rush to her. In half a second Yash was at her side, holding her back.

“Tetsusaiga,” he said.

“Right here,” Kagome replied, handing him the sword. He immediately drew it and held the mighty fang before them both.

All around them people were panicking, running, screaming. It was chaos.

Sango rose above the crowd. Kagome shuddered to see her smile. It was a slow, sick smile, like the one she imagined must have been on her face when the weapon possessed her.

“Sato! Minamoto!” Yash roared. His two kendoka were instantly at his side. “Organize the team and get them to escort people out of here as quickly as possible,” he ordered. “We need this room cleared.”

“What’s going on, Taisho-sensei?” Sato asked.

“That weapon has a shit-load of jyaki and it just possessed Nakamura,” Yash replied, one eye on Sango, the other on Kagome.

“Jyaki!” breathed Minamoto. “What’s it doing here?”

Yash smiled grimly. “Your coach was a fool and brought a weapon full of jyaki to a fight,” he said.

“Yash,” Kagome said, laying a hand on his arm.

The two kendoka looked at each other as they observed Kagome’s familiarity with their coach. “Higurashi-kun?” said Sato hesitantly.

“Go! Now!” Yash barked. _Why will no one fucking listen?_

“Right!” Sato said. He and Minamoto ran off to gather the rest of the team.

“What do we do, Yash?” Kagome said softly. “My ofudas didn’t hold!”

“I don’t know if they would have, baby girl, in these circumstances,” he replied, still watching Sango intently. So far, she hadn’t done anything; she was merely surveying the crowd. People were finally starting to leave the dojo in a more orderly fashion. Yash could hear his kendoka calling out orders and helping people exit. He smiled. He had created a good team, even if he was a fucking fool.

“Sensei!” Minamoto said from close behind him. “The team is getting everyone out. Please let me help you!”

“You can help by getting yourself out, Minamoto-kun,” Yash replied grimly. “Higurashi and I have faced off against this thing before. I don’t want it possessing or harming anyone else.”

Minamoto looked like he wanted to respond, but instead kept his mouth closed and bowed. “Please be careful, Sensei,” Minamoto said. “Get Nakamura back for us.”

Yash said nothing, but nodded once. Minamoto went back to the team to see where else he could help.

Meanwhile, Sango continued to search the crowd, her blood-red eyes scanning the faces as though she were looking for someone. Finally, her eyes settled on Kagome. She offered that slow, evil smile again, and took off through the air, slicing through it deftly, the sickle held aloft and ready to attack.

Kagome constructed a barrier swiftly. “Let her come,” Kagome growled. “I’m ready.”

Yash had to admit: he was impressed.

Sango screamed in a voice that was not hers; it was high-pitched and howling. Yash stood steady next to Kagome, ready to disarm Sango if possible. But Sango kept her distance, choosing instead to throw the sickle. Yash watched in horror as the sickle careened towards Kagome.

Kagome closed her eyes and pressed the tips of her fingers together; her hair flew up around her as her barrier grew brighter and more solid. The sickle hit the barrier with a sickening shriek; Kagome gasped and began to sweat. But the barrier held, and the sickle was thrust back towards Sango, who caught it neatly and sent it right back out towards Kagome again.

But the force of the blow had an impact. Kagome had sunk to her knees and was now raising her hands up in an attempt to help her barrier hold.

“Kagome!” Yash bellowed. Kagome closed her eyes again and put all she had into the barrier.

She didn’t have to, though, because Yash jumped in front of her and with a swift thrust of the Tetsusaiga, he repelled the sickle. It flew back to Sango again, who caught it and sank down to the mats of the dojo.

“Who are you?” Yash demanded, now standing in front of Kagome’s barrier.

Sango’s face lit up; she seemed to glow from within.

“I’m what’s left of the tsurube-otoshi Yamihito,” Sango said in a voice that was not hers. It was raspy; it was deep; it vibrated against the walls of the dojo. Kagome shuddered from within her barrier. “A man murdered me and then crafted this weapon out of my bones. He infused it with my jyaki to create the strongest kusarigama ever made. A priest confronted him over the creation of the weapon. They fought, and the priest sealed me away.

“But now I am free,” the horrible voice coming from Sango continued, “and I don’t intend to be sealed away again by anyone, least of all by the descendant of that priest.”

Yash and Kagome exchanged a look; now they knew why the kusarigama was in the shrine’s shed.

“What makes you think that you’ll be able to get past us, Yamihito?” Yash said in a low voice. Kagome dropped her barrier and began summoning her reiki into her hands, which were glowing a bright, rosy pink. She wanted to be ready to go on offense if need be.

“Hold tight, baby girl,” Yash murmured. “We can’t hurt Sango.”

“I know, Yash,” Kagome replied. She thought for a moment. “If you can get Sango and restrain her, I can channel my energy into the kusarigama, and that should, if not purify it, at least subdue it enough that we can get control over it again.”

“That’s dangerous, Kagome!” Yash exclaimed. “You know what happened the last time you got near that fucking thing.”

“Sango’s our friend, Yash,” Kagome said pointedly. “We have to _try_.”

“Okay,” Yash agreed, “but only as a last resort.”

“Deal.” Kagome turned and faced Sango again.

“My ancestor sealed you once,” she said to Sango-not-Sango, “and I can do it again. Why don’t you come down and face us like the youkai you are? Or have you lost some of your fighting ability now that you’re just a sickle?”

“Kagome!” Yash exclaimed sharply. The last thing he wanted was for this thing to come after his girl.

Sango screamed again—that horrible, high-pitched scream—and dove through the air towards Kagome. Kagome reconstructed her barrier, ready to fight again. Yash watched for an opening where he could disarm Sango.

But before Sango and the kusarigama could get close, a huge wave of reiki swept between Sango and Yash and Kagome, knocking Sango and Yash back with its force.

Startled, Kagome dropped her barrier and looked around.

Kikyo stood at the doors to the dojo, her ponytail swirling around her like a vortex, her eyes closed, one hand raised in the air. Kagome could see the reiki bursting forth from her hand.

“Maeda-sensei!” Kagome yelled.

Kikyo looked up at Kagome and nodded once, her face set. “I don’t know what you brought into this dojo, Higurashi,” she said coldly, “but it seems to be quite attracted to you.”

“Kikyo,” Yash roared. “Get out of here!”

“I’m only trying to help, _Inuyasha_ ,” she said. She dropped her reiki; it fell like a dropped window screen. She turned to leave the dojo.

“Wait, Maeda-sensei!” Kagome called after her. Kikyo paused; Yash wanted to punch something in his anger.

“What. Are. You. _Doing?_ ” he hissed at her.

“We need help, Yash,” Kagome said in a quiet tone. “She can help us.”

“Like fucking hell will I let that bitch help us with _anything_!” he exclaimed, all sense of propriety lost.

“Fine,” Kagome said shortly, pulling away from him.

“Here, hold on,” he answered, putting a hand on her arm. “Kikyo!” he called to her. Kikyo looked at him, her icy gaze washing over him and leaving him chilled. “Get the doc for us! He’s in the locker room.” At her surprised face, Yash quickly added, “he’s got spiritual power, but he’s probably got his headphones on and isn’t paying attention. He can help.”

Kikyo nodded once, then made her way around the outside of the dojo towards the locker rooms. Yash sighed, glad to both give her a job and get her out of the way.

Meanwhile, Sango-not-Sango had dropped to the ground several meters away and was licking her lips gleefully. “Now, where were we, little girl?” she said, glaring at Kagome. “I believe I was about to kill you and your half-breed here, and have him for dinner and you for dessert.”

“Fuck off!” Yash shouted, swinging the Tetsusaiga to face his possessed friend. “Get the fuck out of Sango!”

“Do you have a better place for me to go, _Inuyasha_?” the voice coming from Sango mocked.

Yash stilled. Kagome let in a sharp breath.

“I know you, _Lord Inuyasha_ ,” said the voice. Sango-not-Sango now began to pace the length of the mat, twisting the kusarigama in her hand. “I know who you are. I know _what_ you are. And, I know what you desire.”

“You know nothing about me,” Yash said in a low voice. “If you did, you’d know I gave up that name a long time ago, as well as any desire to be anything more than what I am.”

“A half-breed?” The voice now laughed at him. It was grotesque to hear it coming out of Sango’s mouth. “You can’t possibly be happy as a half-breed.” The voice dropped; Sango’s eyes gleamed like rubies. “I can offer you everything, Lord Inuyasha. The life of a full youkai: the power, the awe, the ability to make people cower at your feet. The ability to defeat your brother and assume your rightful place in the family.”

“Yash,” breathed Kagome. He could hear the shuddering in her voice.

“It’s okay,” he whispered back. He sent out a little of his youki to embrace her; she accepted it willingly, keeping her reiki at the ready.

“Like I said, Yamihito, I am not interested in anything more than what I have in this life, right now.” He looked at Kagome; her eyes shone with love for him. He smiled at her. “I have everything I need. I don’t need your power or your strength; I have enough of my own.”

“Taisho!” came a voice from the locker room. Yash and Kagome turned to see Miroku running across the dojo, a staff with jingling charms over his shoulder, ofudas in his hand. Kikyo was right on his heels.

“Baby girl,” whispered Yash, “I need you to infuse those ofudas with your reiki. Go to the doc and do that now. I will take care of this.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Kagome whispered. He could scent her tears; they were close to spilling over her cheeks.

“I need you to do that, and come back immediately,” he said. “We’re gonna seal this youkai up, and we’re gonna save Sango. Tell the doc and… _Kikyo_ …to have ofudas of their own ready too.”

She gave him a weak smile, then ran to Miroku.

Good. She was safe.

“Now, Yamihito,” Yash said, turning his full attention back to his possessed friend, “I believe you have something of ours that you need to return. That’s my assistant coach’s body, and I will be needing her for the rest of the season. She’s also my girl’s best friend. We’re not leaving without her.”

The tsurube-otoshi chuckled. “This body suits me, Lord Inuyasha. I don’t intend to give it up so easily.”

Yash roared in anger. Once again, he felt fucking powerless. With Sango, he didn’t have to be quite as delicate as with Kagome, but she was his assistant coach and, more importantly, his friend. He didn’t want to have to do anything that was going to hurt her. But yet, the tsurube-otoshi was once again making this impossible.

“Unless,” Sango-not-Sango said, that raspy voice cloaked in thought, “there was another, more powerful, body that was offered in its place.”

“Like whose?” Yash sneered. “Mine?”

The tsurube-otoshi twisted Sango’s face into a dark smile.

“Yash!” screamed Kagome. She was back at his side in an instant, ofudas in her hand. “Don’t you _dare_ trade yourself for Sango,” she said breathlessly.

He smirked. “Don’t worry, baby girl,” he said confidently, “like this bastard could even _handle_ possessing me.” He turned to the tsurube-otoshi and laughed harshly.

“How dare you threaten this one’s corporeal form, youkai,” he hissed. “Especially when you know of whom you speak.”

Kagome was stunned. She’d never heard Yash use such… _formal_ language before.

It was kind of sexy.

Yash scented her arousal and turned to look at her, surprised.

“Really, Kagome?” he exclaimed, one eyebrow quirked. “ _NOW?_ ”

She shrugged her shoulders and grinned.

“Oh, baby girl,” Yash replied, swinging the Tetsusaiga up into an attack position, “you’re gonna get it tonight.”

Shit. That made her arousal spike even _more_.

“Miroku!” he bellowed instead. “Be ready!”

“On it!” Miroku yelled back.

“He’s gonna hit Sango with his ofudas,” Yash murmured to Kagome. “Be ready to use yours to purify the thing. We’ll use Kikyo’s to seal it.”

She nodded, never taking her eyes off Sango.

“Yamihito!” Yash roared, pointing the Tetsusaiga at Sango once more. “You have seriously pissed this one off. It’s time to exorcise you, and end your miserable existence, once and for all, as it should have been long ago!” He raised the Tetsusaiga aloft and rushed at Sango, Kagome screaming, Miroku yelling behind him. The tsurube-otoshi grinned and hurled the kusarigama right at Yash, who ducked and punched Sango in the face, just hard enough to make the tsurube-otoshi back off.

“Yash!” Kagome shrieked.

“Stay back and be ready!” he ordered her. Kagome immediately stood down, but was still ready to use her ofudas as need be. He could see her channeling her power into one hand.

Sango-not-Sango grinned again and came right at Yash with the blade of the sickle; he leapt back and the sickle met steel with a loud clang. Yash barely had time to catch his breath when the tsurube-otoshi was after him again, swinging the sickle out and whipping it back around in a wide arc. Yash ducked as he realized it meant to catch him around the neck with the chain.

 _Sango_ , he reminded himself. _I have to protect Sango_.

He was so busy thinking about how to not injure Sango that the tsurube-otoshi caught him off-guard, whipping the sickle and catching him full on his right bicep. Yash howled in pain and dropped to the ground, clutching his arm as the blood gushed out. “Don’t come near!” he yelled to Kagome, who was about to rush forward.

“Fuck that!” she yelled back, and rushed over to him, expertly erecting a barrier around them both. The tsurube-otoshi howled and sent the sickle towards them again, but it clanged ineffectively against the barrier. “Let me see your arm,” she said. When he held it out to her, she swiftly laid her hand over the wound and closed her eyes. Yash felt his skin stitching back together under her expert touch. She was sweating profusely from the combined effort of the barrier and of healing him, and as soon as he was mostly healed he took his arm away from underneath her and kissed her lips, lightly and quickly.

“Thank you,” he breathed. “Now stay away until I’m ready for you.”

Kagome merely smiled and stepped away, dropping the barrier. He watched with one eye as she raced back to where Miroku and Kikyo were standing together, ready to jump in as needed.

He couldn’t put her in any more danger. He needed to end this. _Now_.

“Miroku!” Yash bellowed, then charged forward with the Tetsusaiga. Miroku rushed to his side and flung his ofudas at Sango. She screamed as they struck her and she dropped immediately to the ground. Miroku held her firmly in place as Yash brought the Tetsusaiga down on the kusarigama’s chain, trying to shatter it.

“It’s still too strong, Yash!” Miroku shouted. Sango was thrashing wildly in his arms; he was struggling to hold her still.

“Let me help.” Suddenly Kikyo and Kagome were by his side. Kikyo knelt down and helped Miroku hold Sango in place. Kikyo lifted her eyes to Kagome. “Exorcise her,” Kikyo said simply.

Kagome dropped to her knees beside Kikyo and Miroku. “I’ve never done anything like that before,” she said.

“We cannot do it,” Kikyo said. “All our power is going into holding her still, and you can see how well that’s going. Push your reiki in, and the youkai will come out.”

Sango starting foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolling around in her head. Yash brought the Tetsusaiga down on the chain link connecting to the blade, effectively holding it in place. It was taking all his strength to do that.

“Do it, baby girl,” Yash said, breathing hard with the effort. He grinned at her. “This one knows you can.”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “That only worked once, dog boy,” she said dryly. She turned to Sango and took a deep breath. She was already feeling weak from creating barriers and healing Yash; however, she thought she had enough to exorcise the tsurube-otoshi.

“When this thing comes out,” she said to Yash, “be ready.”

His eyes glinted at her in response.

Taking another deep breath, Kagome laid her hands on Sango’s belly, above where Miroku was holding her hips and legs in place. Ever so gently, she pushed her reiki into Sango’s body, trying to force the tsurube-otoshi out. Sango screamed: a high-pitched, desperate, wild scream of pain and suffering. Kagome bit down hard on the inside of her lip to keep herself grounded; she tasted blood, but kept going.

“Get out of her, you youkai asshole,” she murmured. Sango screamed again: louder and more desperate, if that was possible. Kagome saw Yash’s ears flatten at the sound.

Suddenly, Sango’s screams were cut off as she fell silent; her limbs flopped down, jellied. Kikyo made to let her go, but Miroku hissed, “Hold onto her!” and Kikyo stayed where she was. Kagome kept her hands on Sango’s belly, whispering “get out, get out” over and over. There was a massive clanging sound to their right; Miroku, Kikyo, and Sango looked up to see that Yash had shattered the chain. The sickle flew up in the air and hovered over them of its own accord.

“Now, Kagome!” he yelled. Kagome pulled her hands away from Sango and hurled her ofudas at the sickle. They stuck to the bone, which let out a piercing squeal and fell to the ground over the bleachers, clattering down the risers, sliding across the floor, and coming to a rest under the Tokyo U table.

Yash approached the weapon slowly; the jyaki was still pulsing, but it wasn’t quite as strong. He took off his shirt and made to pick it up.

“Yash!” Kagome cried out suddenly. “Yash, be careful!”

Yash looked up at her in surprise; the jyaki chose that moment to shoot out from the kusarigama and wrap itself around Yash, binding his arms and trailing under his hair.

“Yash!” Kagome shouted. She raced across the dojo to him.

“Kagome, be careful!” Miroku called out. “It knows you!”

“Maybe, but it knows Yash too!” she called back. She looked Yash over carefully; the jyaki had totally twisted around his body, effectively rendering him immobile.

“ _Lord Inuyasha_ ,” a soft, hissing voice whispered, “claim me as your own.” Yash didn’t answer; he tried to struggle against the bonds, but couldn’t move at all. The jyaki left burn marks on his skin as it wrapped around his torso.

“You need me,” the voice continued, still in that low hiss. “Think of all we could do together. Of the _justice_ we could serve in your mother’s name. Of the _revenge_ we could exact against your brother. Of the _role_ that is rightfully yours.”

“Yash!” cried Kagome. She stepped forward, holding her hands out. His eyes looked down at her wildly, like he didn’t know her anymore; red was seeping into the gold of his eyes. “No!” she screamed. The jyaki was taking him. She didn’t have a lot of time.

Quickly, Kagome reached out with her hands, ignoring Miroku’s and Kikyo’s cries of caution. She let her hands hover a few inches above the jyaki, channeling her reiki. “Get the fuck away from him!” she shouted. “First Sango, and now Yash. I won’t let you have either of them!” She ran her hands along the bonds, her pink reiki overpowering the dark purple jyaki, making it disappear. Breathing slowly, she worked her hands over Yash’s entire body, pouring everything she had into removing the bonds. The jyaki pulsed against her reiki, but she pushed back even harder. “No,” she exclaimed forcefully when it curled up around Yash’s throat and squeezed, “no, no!” She reached forward, grabbed the jyaki around his neck, and pulled as hard as she could. It became hard, shattering in her hands. Kagome let out a piercing cry, collapsing to the ground. The jyaki turned to ash, dropping Yash, and the kusarigama fell silent.

The dojo was finally quiet. Miroku and Kikyo slowly lifted their hands off Sango, whose skin was pinking up and whose breath was slowly returning to normal. They watched expectantly as she opened her eyes.

Brown, not deep red.

“Miroku…?” Sango said slowly, blinking her eyes.

Miroku smiled and cupped her face with his hand. “Hey, Nakamura,” he said in a soft voice. “You’re gonna be okay.” He felt for her pulse, then pulled out his phone and started the timer, checking her heartbeat. He counted carefully, then lowered his hand. He then turned on the flashlight app, and looked in her eyes. “Look to the left,” he said gently, “and to the right. Look up, and down, and straight ahead.” He looked up at Kikyo. “No concussion.” He looked back at Sango. “Does anything hurt?”

Sango groaned and made to sit up; Kikyo helped her. “My head is killing me,” she said. She allowed Miroku to gently check her for broken bones. “I’m okay, Miroku,” she insisted. “Just exhausted. I guess demonic possession will do that to a girl.” Her eyes narrowed as they looked across the dojo. “Go check on them, please.”

Miroku followed her gaze and saw Yash and Kagome, prostrate on the dojo mat. He nodded once to Kikyo, who stayed with Sango, and crossed the floor to his other friends, who were both out cold.

He started with Kagome; he knew Yash would most likely come around on his own. He knelt beside her. “Kagome,” he said gently, tapping her cheeks. She was pale; she’d been very busy that day, he knew. “Kagome,” he said, a little more urgently this time.

“Oi, Miroku,” came a grunt from behind him, “how’s my girl?”

Miroku turned to see Yash struggling to sit up, his body covered in burns from the jyaki of the kusarigama. “She’s unconscious,” he replied. “She’s breathing, but not responding.” He checked her heart rate, which was slow and steady. He gave Yash a once-over; Yash’s body was littered with purple burn marks from the kusarigama’s jyaki, and his skin was pale and blotchy. “You look like shit,” he said.

“I fucking feel like it, too,” he replied, sliding himself over to where Kagome was passed out. He lifted her up into his lap and held her close. “You did too much today, baby girl,” he whispered. He looked up at Miroku. “Did you see what she did when it tried to possess me?”

“She tore apart the jyaki with her bare hands,” said Kikyo. She was helping Sango across the dojo floor. Kikyo set Sango down beside Yash and Kagome, and Sango immediately grasped Kagome’s hands in her own, tears spilling over her cheeks. “Inuyasha,” Kikyo added, “wherever did you find this girl?”

“What’s it to you, Kikyo?” Yash rasped at her.

“She has a lot of power,” Kikyo commented. “And yet here she is, wasting away as a kendo team manager.”

“Maybe so, but I could still wipe the floor with your ass, Maeda-sensei.”

“Kagome!” Yash looked down as Kagome struggled to open her eyes. Relief flooded every part of his body and he clutched her to him more tightly.

“Yash,” Kagome moaned softly, her blue-gray eyes meeting his, “is it done?”

Yash looked over where the kusarigama had come to rest nearby. He tentatively sent out a little of his youki to test it.

“Nothing,” he told her. “I don’t feel a goddamn thing.”

“Allow me,” said Kikyo. She rose and crossed the floor to the sickle, careful not to get too close. “You appear to be correct, Inuyasha,” Kikyo reported. “It’s completely silent.”

“Kikyo,” Yash said abruptly. Kikyo turned to face him. “Thank you. For everything.”

She nodded once. “It’s good I was here,” she replied. “It would have been difficult for Deguchi-sensei to restrain Nakamura-sensei on his own.” She looked at Sango. “You may have some residual marking from where we held you, I’m afraid.”

“It’s okay, Maeda,” said Sango. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you for being here and for helping.”

“I will go alert the proper authorities, if they haven’t been notified already,” Kikyo said. “I will remain outside to answer questions. Higurashi-kun needs to get to a hospital, and soon.”

“I’m okay, Maeda-sensei,” Kagome said, trying to sit up and failing.

“Like fucking hell you are,” Yash growled. “You did too much today, baby girl, and shockingly, I agree with Kikyo. I’m gonna get you to a hospital as soon as I can. Miroku,” he said, turning to the doctor, “take her for a moment.” He made to shift Kagome to Miroku’s lap, but Kagome clung to Yash.

“Not yet,” she whispered.

“I gotta get the kusarigama, baby girl,” he said tenderly, stroking her hair. “I’ll be back.”

She nodded, and he lifted her easily into Miroku’s lap. Miroku checked her pulse again and gently felt her for any broken bones. “I’m okay, Miroku,” she said wearily. “Just so, so tired.”

Meanwhile Yash motioned to Kikyo, and together they inspected the kusarigama. “Before you go,” he said to her, “will you help me seal it?”

“I want to do it, Yash,” said Kagome from her spot in Miroku’s lap. “My ancestor sealed it, and I broke that seal. It’s my duty.”

“She is correct,” Kikyo said. “That is the best way to get the seal to hold. However, she may not be strong enough to do this today.”

“I’m okay, Maeda-sensei,” Kagome said. Placing a hand on Miroku’s shoulder, she shakily got to her feet. “Help me?” she said to the doctor. He rose beside her and she leaned heavily on his arm. Together, they made their way to the kusarigama.

“Yash,” Kagome said, “where’s the box?”

“You can’t do this, baby girl,” Yash said hotly. “You’re not strong enough.”

“Like hell I’m not,” she shot back. “Just hand it over.” She turned to Kikyo. “Do you have those blank scrolls still?” Kikyo nodded and pulled a few from her pocket. “Miroku,” Kagome said, “help me to the table.” Miroku obliged and took her to the Tokyo U table, Kagome leaning on his shoulder the whole way. He helped her sit, and he perched beside her, ready to help as needed. Kagome got a felt-tipped pen from her bag and Kikyo handed her the scrolls. Kagome unwound them and began to write, chanting softly as she drew the characters on the paper. Her pen glowed a soft pink; the ink, infused with her reiki, also glowed the same pink as she composed the spell on each scroll. When she was done, she stood, and Miroku offered an arm, which she accepted gratefully. Kagome looked again at Yash.

“The box, Taisho,” she said firmly. He frowned, but produced the box for her. She nodded. “Now, the kusarigama.” Yash grabbed his shirt from where he had dropped it on the floor and used it to lift the sickle; the kusarigama didn't respond to him at all. He placed the sickle in the box, then picked up what was left of the chain and did the same thing. He put the box on the table, and handed her the lid. Still leaning on Miroku, she infused the box lid with as much reiki as she could muster, then placed it carefully over the kusarigama. Chanting softly, she covered the box with her swiftly made ofudas. She pressed her palms together and said a final prayer over the box; it glowed pink with her reiki, then fell completely silent.

Kagome looked around. “You can check it if you want,” she said, “but I think we’re okay.” And she slumped against Miroku as her eyes rolled back in her head.

“Kagome!” Yash shouted, taking her from Miroku and lifting her into his arms. He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “Come on, baby girl,” he said desperately, “hang on.”

“Inuyasha,” said Kikyo. He whipped his head around, forgetting in the moment he was supposed to be nice. “Take her, and take her things. Leave Deguchi, Nakamura, and I to handle the box and the authorities.”

“Let me know where you take her, Yash,” Miroku added. “The police may want to question her, but I think it’s more important you get her to a hospital. She needs to go _now_.”

Yash grunted an affirmation. Miroku picked up the duffel and Kagome’s bag and handed them to Yash. “Hang on,” he said. He went to where Yash had dropped the Tetsusaiga and picked it up; it was nothing more than a rusty katana now. He sheathed it and slipped it into the duffel. “Keep this all safe,” he said to Yash, who nodded.

“Keep me posted, Deguchi,” he said.

“Take the exit by the locker room,” Miroku said in response. “It won’t be as crowded.”

Yash nodded and kissed Kagome gently on her forehead. “Let’s go,” he whispered tenderly to her. “You’re gonna be okay.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash cares for Kagome. Kagome has a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.

Yash had to hand it to Miroku and Kikyo; they had handled the authorities like pros. He had been free to get Kagome to the hospital, where she was currently asleep and resting, a steady stream of IV fluids entering her system, keeping her hydrated. Her wrist was wrapped more solidly, too: the doctor didn’t think it was broken, only sprained, but he told Yash they had to wait for her to wake up before they could take her for an X-ray. The authorities had already come and gone; once Kagome was settled in a room, Yash texted Miroku their location, and Miroku sent two police officers and a spiritual advisor to talk with both of them. Kagome had still been asleep, but Yash answered their questions as best he could. They left with the promise of returning to question Kagome the next day.

Now, Yash was sitting in a hard, very uncomfortable hospital chair, watching his girl sleep. He’d pulled the chair close enough that he could rest her (non-IV) hand in his, anxiously thumbing circles on the back. He could not stop thinking about what a fucking idiot he was, and about how he’d almost lost her, several times, in the past twenty-four hours. He rested his head in his opposite hand and massaged his temples harshly, feeling his claws prick the skin. There were so many things he wished he’d done differently. He should have stopped her from opening the fucking box in the first place; he should have insisted on leaving the box with Totosai; he should never have taken it to the meet; he should have left the duffel with Kagome, even though it was affecting her so harshly.

Yet the authorities had been extremely polite; they worried over his injuries, even though the burns were already fading and he’d insisted that he didn’t need to see a doctor. They had expressed concern—and awe—over Kagome, especially when he told them how she’d exorcised the youkai from Sango, shattered the jyaki wrapped around him, and sealed the kusarigama away. The spiritual advisor in particular was astounded, and asked where Kagome had received her training, and if she might be interested in a career as a spiritual advisor. Yash did his best not to laugh, and said the advisor could come back and talk with her more the following day. But Yash knew her heart lay in her research, and that she probably couldn’t be persuaded away from that.

After the authorities left, Yash got a text from Miroku; he had taken Sango to the hospital as well, and luckily, she didn’t need to be admitted. Kagome had done such an outstanding job with the exorcism that Sango only suffered from a headache and slight burns where Miroku and Kikyo had held her down. Miroku promised that he and Sango would come check on Kagome before they left.

And there it was, laid bare before him: he had put Kagome in danger, he had put Sango in danger, he had put his team in danger, he had put _everyone in the fucking dojo in danger_. Because of his own vanity, because of his own over-confidence in his abilities, he had almost gotten hundreds of people killed.

Then his phone started buzzing.

He looked at the caller ID: it was the athletic director.

Yash sighed and answered it. “Taisho here.”

“Taisho-sensei,” said the gruff voice over the phone. “This is Sekiguchi. How are you?”

“Fine, Sekiguchi-san,” Yash replied.

Sekiguchi sighed audibly. “This is quite a mess, Taisho. Do you mind telling me what happened?”

So Yash told him everything; how he was helping Kagome with her research, how they found the kusarigama, how he’d taken it to Totosai, who had refused to help, and how he thought the weapon was safest in his possession, until he and Kagome could figure out how to exorcise the jyaki from it. He had almost been right, until Sango took the bag, until he was distracted.

“I’m sorry, Sekiguchi-san,” he said simply. “I know I messed everything up.”

Sekiguchi was silent for several moments. “Honestly, Taisho-sensei,” he said, “I’m not sure whether to fire you or give you a raise.”

“Sir?” Yash was shocked.

“This story has gone viral, and all anyone is talking about is how the kendo coach and the team manager from Tokyo U exorcised a possessed kusarigama and rescued their assistant coach. We’re getting phone calls for television and newspaper interviews, and already we have high school parents calling us, wanting to know if their kendoka can train under you.” He paused. “I’m not pleased with what happened, Taisho, but I have to say…I’m impressed with your ability to stay cool and to save Higurashi-kun.”

“If anything, sir,” Yash said, “she saved me.”

“No matter,” Sekiguchi said, and Yash could tell he was waving his hand in the air nonchalantly. “Monday morning, 9am, let’s talk about how we can use this to recruit student athletes, and how that might translate into a raise for you.”

Yash couldn’t breathe; he couldn’t speak. He wasn’t being fired? He might be getting a _raise_?

“Sekiguchi-san,” Yash choked out.

“Monday morning, 9am sharp, Taisho,” Sekiguchi replied. “See you then.” And he hung up, leaving Yash to stare stupidly at his phone.

“Yash?” came a quiet voice from the hospital bed. “What’s going on?”

“Kagome?” Yash slipped his phone back in his pocket and turned all his attention to her. Her eyes were half-open; she looked like she was struggling to stay awake. Her skin was still so, so pale. He bit back the tears that were threatening to spill over. “How are you feeling, baby girl?”

She groaned a little. “Like I got hit by a truck,” she said. She looked around, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. “Am I in the hospital?”

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, snaking an arm around her chest. She brought up her non-IV hand and patted him gently. “Yash?” she said hesitantly.

“I’m so fucking sorry, baby girl,” he murmured. “So, so fucking sorry.”

“Yash?” she said again. She gently pushed him away. “You have to tell me what’s happening.”

“You’re in the hospital,” he said dully. “You were fucking amazing today, Kagome. Do you remember?”

Kagome furrowed her brow, searching through her memory. “I exorcised Sango,” she said slowly. “I…your chest!” she exclaimed suddenly, trying to sit up and lift his shirt.

“I’m okay,” he reassured her, gently pushing her back onto the bed. “Here.” He pulled up his polo shirt and showed her; the burn marks were already starting to fade. The relief on her face was visible and stirred his heart.

“Where’s the kusarigama?” she asked next.

“With the authorities,” he said. “There were two officers and a spiritual advisor here while you were out. The spiritual advisor was very…impressed…with your abilities.” Yash smiled at her. “As am I.”

The compliment caused her pale cheeks to pink up a bit. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you going to stay with me, Yash?” she whispered, clutching at his hand.

“I won’t leave you, baby girl,” he replied softly, and leaned forward and kissed her.

Kagome’s lips were soft and cold; it was chilly in the hospital room. She pressed forward hesitantly, as though unsure of how he would respond. He poured all of his love and warmth for her into the kiss, keeping it soft and gentle, feeling her lips slowly come back to life under his. When he pulled away, she looked up at him expectantly.

“Can we talk?” she asked.

“You need to rest,” he replied.

She huffed a little. “Talk first, then I promise that I’ll sleep.”

He smiled. “Okay,” he said gently, “ask away.”

“First,” she said. “Why did the tsurube-otoshi call you ‘Lord Inuyasha'?”

Well, that was _not_ the 'talk' that he was expecting.

“Ummm…” he didn’t know how to answer this one. “Once upon a time,” he began, “my father was the Inu no Taisho, the great Dog General, the first Lord of the West.”

Kagome’s mouth fell open. “What does that even mean?”

He laughed. “Nothing, because my mom was human and my dad is dead and my bastard half-brother has only recently started to acknowledge my existence.”

Kagome frowned. “It seemed to mean something to the tsurube-otoshi, Yash.”

“That old demon had been locked away in your family’s shrine for only the gods know how long, baby girl,” he replied softly. “After my old man was killed, Sess disowned me, and my mom and I were on our own. Cue about a hundred and fifty years of racism, bullying, and abuse. Youkai only referred to my demon title as they were trying to beat the shit out of me, like they were trying to prove a point—like if they could beat the son of the Inu no Taisho, they were better than him.” He growled slightly. “But I kicked all their asses. The son of the Inu no Taisho doesn’t lose a fight.”

“So, does using that name like you just did…does it mean that you still want to be Lord Inuyasha?” Kagome asked.

Yash laughed. “Not even a little bit,” he said. “When I met Totosai, I was at rock bottom.” He hung his head a bit. “I was homeless and friendless. I had nothing. I was doing things that I wasn’t proud of, even then, to get by.” He lowered his eyes; his ears flattened against his head. “I am glad you didn’t know me then.”

Kagome reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. “I would have loved you regardless, Yash.”

He looked up at her; her eyes were shining with tears. He cupped her face with his other hand, smoothing the tears away.

“Don’t cry over me, baby girl,” he whispered. “I’m okay. I made it. I made peace with my idiot brother. And, I have you.” He kissed her; she sighed into his mouth. He sat back and looked her over approvingly.

She smiled when she caught him watching her. “So, when am I getting out of here?” she asked. Her arousal hit him full-on, almost knocking him back in his chair. She smiled. “Because I distinctly remember you saying I was going to ‘get it’ when we got home.”

He laughed; she was gonna be okay.

Yash rose. “Unfortunately, the doctors want to keep you overnight for observation,” he said. “You were unconscious for several hours, and they want to X-ray your wrist.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he interrupted her. “I happen to agree with them, Kagome,” he said. “You expended a lot of energy today. I want to make sure nothing happens to you.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Now,” he said simply, “close your eyes. I’m going to find a doctor, check on Sango, and call your mama. I’ll be back soon.” He grinned. “Tomorrow, we’ll go home, and if you’re up to it, then I will take care of you. How only I can.”

“Promise?” she asked.

“Cross my heart,” he said.

* * *

Kagome’s mother had been both impressed and horrified by what happened, and wanted to come to the hospital right away. Yash talked her down, though, and asked her to come the following morning to help with Kagome’s discharge. Kagome ended up sleeping most of the night, anyway, with Yash on constant and close watch; there was nothing her mother could have done but not sleep, either, and Yash wanted her fresh for the morning, when he would really need her.

Sango wasn’t given the all-clear to go home until close to eleven that night. She and Miroku came to Kagome’s room, only to find Yash sitting on the hospital bed, Kagome asleep in his arms. He nodded at them when they came in. Sango mouthed “How is she?” and Yash gave a thumbs up, but indicated she needed to rest. Miroku pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Yash.

 _Sounds like you didn’t lose your job after all, Taisho. I’ll text you tomorrow to see how she is_.

Yash smiled and nodded his thanks.

One more person thought to check on Kagome that night. Yash had just dozed off not long after Sango and Miroku left when he heard his phone buzz on the hospital rolling table. He fumbled around in his half-asleep state, only to become fully awake when he saw who the text was from.

_Inuyasha, how is Higurashi?_

Yash grumbled at Kikyo’s use of his full name. Why couldn’t she stop that?

 _Asleep but okay._ Then, after a moment, he added. _Thanks for checking on her_.

His phone was silent for a moment, then the three dots on the left-hand side of the screen indicated she was writing back.

_She was very brave today and is incredibly powerful. I was impressed. Your secret is safe._

Yash let out a sigh of relief, then sent her one, last, brief text.

 _Thanks_.

And then he did allow himself to fully doze off, if only for a short while.

The next morning, the doctors whisked Kagome away for an X-ray, which was negative: she had, indeed, just sprained her wrist, to Yash’s incredible relief. The two police officers and the spiritual advisor returned, carrying the kusarigama with them. Apparently, the spiritual advisor could find nothing out of the ordinary with the box, and was hesitant to remove the ofudas Kagome had so quickly, yet expertly, applied. Yash accepted the box from the police officers, with the strict instructions to be more careful with it in the future. Yash immediately decided he would take it to Totosai as soon as possible; he’d already called the old man and told him to postpone his sparring match with his brother until the following weekend. Yash needed to be fully present to take care of his girl.

The authorities stayed for about half an hour, peppering Kagome with questions. She was more lucid this morning, but Yash could see that her eyes were still very listless, and her voice dull. More than once his instinct to protect her took over and he growled at the officers and the advisor; more than once he got a warning glare back.

When at last Kagome had answered all their questions, the officers motioned for Yash to follow them into the hall; he didn’t want to leave her alone with a strange male who was not a doctor, but Kagome gave him an encouraging smile and shooed him from the room.

“Higurashi-san is very brave, Taisho-san,” said one of the officers to Yash.

“She was pretty awesome yesterday,” Yash agreed.

“Just remember what we said,” the second officer told him. “Keep that weapon sealed. Don’t take it out for any reason.”

“Keh,” said Yash, “Like I would after what happened. I’m going to leave in the care of my mentor. He’s a weapons expert and is well-equipped to keep it protected. I don’t want it in my apartment or back at the Higurashi Shrine.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” the first officer agreed. “Take care of Higurashi-san.”

Yash nodded, then went back into the hospital room, passing the spiritual advisor on his way. The advisor gave him a funny look, but said nothing. Yash frowned as he walked into the room, where Kagome was sitting up and pouring some water from the pitcher by her bed.

“You’re back!” she said, her whole face lighting up.

“I was only gone five minutes, baby girl,” he replied, kissing her upturned lips gently. When he pulled away, she mewed a little at the loss of contact and tried to keep his face close to hers. He chuckled at her eagerness; he knew that she just needed him.

“That advisor wanted to know where I trained,” Kagome said, a sudden darkness crossing her face.

“Oh?” Yash said.

“And how I managed to hold onto my powers when I was… _intimate_ …with a hanyou,” she spat.

Yash sighed. “You know there are people out there who don’t think youkai should even exist,” he said to her gently. “And a hanyou is even worse, because it means a human and a youkai…”

“I know what it means, _Inuyasha_ ,” she said angrily. He paled at her use of his given name. It was not how he liked to hear it; he preferred to hear it drop from her lips in soft sighs, in the middle of lovemaking. Not in anger.

Kagome paused, picking up on his sadness. She leaned forward and took his hand. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you upset. _I_ am upset. _I_ am tired of people seeing you as less then, when you’re the most…the most incredible…” now she was struggling for words in her embarrassment “…the _most someone_ I’ve ever known,” she settled on at last.

Yash immediately grinned at her fumbling declaration. He squeezed her hand and joined her on the hospital bed. “You’re the _most someone_ I’ve ever known too, Higurashi,” he said roughly.

“Yash,” she whispered. She tipped her head up; he dropped his lips onto hers, but only for a brief moment.

“Your mama’s coming,” he whispered against her lips.

“When, in like an hour?” she whispered back.

“No,” he replied, his lips ghosting hers as he spoke softly, making her moan. “Like she’s in the hallway outside your room.”

Kagome pulled back and sat straight up; whether she was shaking with anger or laughter, Yash couldn’t tell. Maybe both.

“Higurashi-san,” he said instead, as Mrs. Higurashi’s presence filled the doorframe.

“Should I come back?” she asked, a bemused smile on her face.

“Mama!” Kagome cried. “I’m so happy to see you!”

Yash backed away from the bed, allowing Mrs. Higurashi to take the spot he had previously occupied. He moved to lean against the window, his arms crossed, watching Kagome and her mother hug, Mrs. Higurashi fretting over her daughter.

“I’ll go find the doctor, give you two some time,” Yash said. “You ready to go home, baby girl?”

Kagome blushed at his use of the affectionate term in front of her mother, but smiled anyway. “I can’t wait to get out of here,” she replied.

“Keh,” he said. “I’ll be back. Higurashi-san, you’ll help me get Kagome home?”

Mrs. Higurashi smiled. “There’s nothing I’d like better.”

* * *

Kagome sighed and snuggled deeper into the blanket Yash had brought out for her from the closet. She was under strict orders to rest for the next few days, and that meant no school, no kendo, no kyudo…just her, taking it easy, and Yash, waiting on her hand and foot. Which she had to admit…she kind of liked.

No, she really liked it. A lot.

She wasn’t the kind of girl who typically demanded other people do things for her. Her mother had always taught her to do things for herself, because who else could you trust to do something better?

No one.

When Kagome wanted to learn to ride a bike when she was six years old, she asked her grandfather to take the training wheels off her bike, then hopped on, riding around the shrine courtyard until she got the hang of it. She fell about fifty times, and was covered in scrapes and bruises, but by the end of the afternoon, she was riding a bike without training wheels. When she was a little older, and she was struggling with math, she went online and watched video after video about algebra, until she found she was able to solve the problems by herself. And then, when she left Hojo and didn’t have money to support herself, she took a second job instead of moving home or looking for a roommate.

Because she’d always believed that no one could help herself better than she could.

And then Taisho Yash had come into her life. He wanted to take care of her. And much to Kagome’s surprise, he was damn good at it. Maybe better than her.

First, he asked her mother to come to the hospital the morning of her discharge, and then asked her mother to help Kagome get settled “at home”—at his apartment.

Then, while Kagome’s mother made tea and Kagome rested on the couch, weary from even just the climb from the parking garage to his apartment, he ran her a warm bath with salts and essential oils, because her knew it would help her relax, even if the oils bothered his keen nose.

Then, while she soaked in the tub, mindful of her wrapped wrist, and with her mama there to keep an eye on her, Yash ran to the takeout restaurant around the corner, and returned with oden, onigiri, and ramen. When she was done in the tub, he wrapped her in a big, fluffy robe, and the three of them sat down to a warm and delicious feast.

Her mother left not long after that, with the promise to call and check on her the next day. While Kagome and her mother said goodbye, Yash again disappeared into his bedroom, only to return with a pair of worn sweats, a long-sleeved shirt, fuzzy socks, and a big, fleecy blanket. He carefully dressed her in his clothes and wrapped her up in the blanket, deposited her on the couch with another steaming cup of tea and the television remote, then excused himself to the office to call Sango and email his kendoka.

And now, here she was, so warm, peaceful, and content, despite everything that had happened in the past 48 hours. How was that possible? Why was not she not a babbling, wailing, anxious mess?

Because Yash had predicted everything she would need, and she was completely, totally, happily, satisfied.

She lifted the front of his shirt to her face and inhaled his musky scent, feeling its calming effect wash over her. She pulled the blanket up even higher around her, and took a sip of her mother’s tea.

 _This_ was what it was supposed to be like, she realized suddenly. _This_ was what she had been missing, all those years.

Someone to know what she needed, without even having to ask. Someone to provide what she asked for, without questioning whether or not she really needed it. Someone _she_ wanted to provide for: no questions asked, no doubt, no mockery. Just…to be there, to love, to honor…to share a life. Together.

And there, in his clothes, wrapped in his fleecy blanket, sifting through her favorite online streaming queue, she knew she had the answer to that question he’d asked her, just a few days before.

Kagome grinned. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. She had an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is Kagome going to do? How will Yash respond? Find out in the next (and final) update! And thanks so much for reading; I hope you are enjoying the story!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yash and Kagome take the kusarigama to Totosai. Yash is confused by Kagome's behavior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! I am so happy to bring you the last two chapters of "Having It All." Please enjoy!

“Baby girl,” Yash said, a little harshly, “I really wish you had just stayed home and let me do this.”

Kagome swung a leg off Yash’s bike and took her helmet off, shaking her hair out. “I wasn’t going to let you do this alone, Yash,” she huffed, taking the duffel off her back and handing it to him. “I don’t trust that thing around you. Look what it did to you last time!”

Yash worked his mouth but found he couldn’t say anything. The girl did have a point.

Yash led Kagome around the corner to Totosai’s apartment. This time the old man had agreed to meet them there, instead of insisting that Yash prove his worth at the dojo again. That would be for a different time, when Yash didn’t have to get Kagome back home and resting.

Yash rang the bell and waited, holding Kagome close at his side. Ever since what happened at the meet, he could hardly bear to be away from her. He was crushed by this overpowering urge to protect her, to keep her completely and totally safe, and it was causing him to invade her personal space a little more than he suspected she may have liked. Outwardly, she showed no effects from the incident, but he knew she was still shaken and exhausted.

The door flew open; Totosai stood in the doorframe, his topknot loose and hairs flying everywhere.

“Inuyasha,” he said in surprise. “And Higurashi.”

“All right, Ojiji,” Yash said, brushing past Totosai and pulling Kagome along after him into the apartment, “we brought the kusarigama for you.”

“Really?” Totosai replied, following Yash and Kagome up the stairs with interest. They all removed their shoes in the genkan. “I don’t sense any jyaki at all.”

“That’s because Kagome exorcised it and sealed it,” Yash told him, squeezing Kagome’s non-wrapped hand. “And she did a hell of a job, too.”

“Did she now?” said Totosai, looking at Kagome thoughtfully, who blushed under his inquisitive gaze.

“She sure as fuck did, ojiji,” replied Yash, smiling affectionately at her.

“I told you she was quite a girl, Inuyasha,” Totosai answered, shifting his gaze from Kagome to Yash.

Yash growled. “Watch it, ojiji,” he said.

The two men glared at each other for a moment, until Kagome coughed lightly. “Would you like to inspect the kusarigama, Totosai-sensei?” she asked politely.

Totosai grunted an affirmative and led them into the washitsu, where they sat around his chabudai. “Take it out of the bag, Inuyasha.”

Yash growled again at Totosai’s use of his full given name, but took the kusarigama’s box out of the duffel and handed it to his mentor. Totosai examined the box extensively: he held it out at arm’s length; he brought it in, eyeing the ofudas carefully; he shook it lightly and held it up to his ear; he smelled it, trying to detect anything out of the ordinary. Yash and Kagome watched him intently, trying to discern his thoughts, but he didn’t reveal anything.

At long last, Totosai put the box down and looked hard at Yash and Kagome. “What happened with this weapon?” he asked them. “Its aura is different.”

Yash and Kagome looked at each other. Kagome went to open her mouth to speak, but Yash covered her hand with his and squeezed it gently. “It was my fault, ojiji,” Yash said in a low voice, his ears flat against his head. “I brought it with me to a meet.”

“You did what?” Totosai exclaimed. Yash lowered his head. “Inuyasha,” Totosai said carefully, “Do you mean to tell me that you brought a demonic weapon powered by jyaki to a kendo meet, where there are weapons everywhere? Where people are cheering for the success and defeat of the competitors? Where it could feed off the bloodlust of the athletes and the audience?” Yash didn’t answer him. Totosai sucked in his breath. “I thought you, of all people, would know better,” he said in a disappointed voice.

“I’m sorry, ojiji; you’re right,” replied Yash quietly. “I should have thought things through more carefully. I was careless, and overconfident. Everything that happened…I take full responsibility.”

“And what exactly _did_ happen, Inuyasha?” exclaimed Totosai, now becoming alarmed.

“You haven’t heard?” Yash said. Totosai shook his head.

“The kusarigama possessed the team’s assistant coach, Totosai-sensei,” Kagome said, jumping in for Yash. “We were able to exorcise her, but then the kusarigama possessed Yash. It tried to tempt him. It called him _Lord Inuyasha_.” Totosai gasped; the effect was what Kagome had hoped for.

“Is this true, Inuyasha?” Totosai said, turning to his student.

Yash grumbled; Kagome nudged him gently. “Yes, it’s true,” he murmured. “The kusarigama promised me power and fame if I accepted it.”

“And did you?” Totosai demanded.

“I…I don’t know what I would have done, honestly,” Yash admitted. “I wouldn’t have accepted it at first, but its jyaki started to overpower me. And that’s when Kagome stepped in.”

Totosai’s incredulous gaze turned from Yash to Kagome. Kagome blushed. “The jyaki was wrapped around his body, Totosai-sensei. It was burning him.”

“So what did you do, Higurashi?” Totosai asked.

Kagome hesitated. “I…purified the jyaki, but it wasn’t enough. The jyaki started wrapping itself around his neck. So…I grabbed it. The jyaki became hard and turned to ash in my hands.”

Yash pulled up his shirt to show Totosai his torso. A hint of the burn marks still remained. “She shouldn’t even be here, ojiji,” Yash said. “She saved me, she purified the kusarigama, and she sealed it away. She spent Saturday night in the hospital. I didn’t want her to come with me, but she insisted.”

Totosai was looking at Kagome with a whole new level of respect. “Higurashi,” he said simply. He turned to Yash. “Where did you find her?”

Yash shrugged. “Nakamura hired her.” He smiled softly. “But we found each other, I’d like to think.” Kagome leaned over and kissed his cheek; his soft smile became a smirk.

Totosai chuckled. “So it would seem.” He cleared his throat and rose. “The kusarigama will be safe here, Inuyasha,” he said. “I will put it in storage in my personal collection.” He paused. “Anything else suspicious you find at the shrine…maybe you leave it here with me.”

* * *

Two weeks. That’s how long Kagome had been staying with Yash. And she was driving him _insane_.

Not because she was staying with him; he loved having her with him, he really did. He wouldn’t have asked her to move in if he didn’t! But ever since the incident (as they’d started calling it), and since they’d taken the kusarigama to Totosai, she had been acting like she belonged at his apartment, like she had lived there always, instead of like just a few days before, she’d been giving him a hard time about moving in.

Nope, she’d just made herself right at home! The second day she was staying with him, her mother had brought over a few bags of clothes and toiletries, as well as Kagome’s textbooks for school. She and her mother had exchanged some weird, conspiratorial glances, then Mrs. Higurashi had kissed Kagome and patted Yash on the shoulder and left. When Yash saw all her belongings, he asked how long she was planning to stay, and then almost burst a blood vessel when she simply shrugged her shoulders and went on with her reading.

And then there were the subtle changes to her behavior. She cooked for him more often, and was actually getting better at it. She showered with him, bathing him and washing his hair. She liked to brush his hair after a bath, carefully working through any knots leftover, and then would put his hair into a thick braid or a topknot. And when he got worked up about work, or his brother, or life in general, she would saunter over to him, settle into his lap, and arch her neck back and to the side, giving him access to her pulse point—the place where her scent was the strongest. If he resisted, she would simply bring her hand behind the nape of his neck and draw him slowly down to her, letting him inhale and kiss and lick and nip her. During sex, she became more submissive, allowing him the freedom to take her in a variety of ways, although it was quickly becoming clear that from behind was a favorite of hers. And his.

He thought that she couldn’t possibly know was that she was basically courting him, inu youkai style, but it was making him _crazy_. Every day it got harder and harder for him to resist marking her, but how could he do that when she hadn’t even said that she _wanted_ to live with him?

Kagome’s behavior also changed in other, less subtle, ways. She now not only went to school with him every morning, but she was leaving with him every night, too. Her kyudo career was put on hold until her wrist healed, but she was still attending practice regularly. She also upped her cardio and added some leg workouts to keep in shape while she was out of commission. When she left the gym, usually around 6:00, he’d see her pad across the dojo to the locker room, where she would shower and then meet him in his office. On nights when they had kendo practice, Kagome would wait until his kendoka all left, then Sango, and then she would meet him in his office. She always had a cheery smile; she always asked him questions like “what should we do for dinner tonight?” or “how was your day?”

Like they were fucking married. Only they weren’t. Even if he wanted them to be, she wasn’t talking about anything even remotely close to planning their future.

What the _fuck_ was she playing at?

His kendoka were beginning to notice that he was distracted, that he was having trouble running through kata and prepping them for their final meet of the year. He could hear the snickers, especially from Minamoto and Sato, that a girl—that _Kagome_ —clearly had him wrapped around her little finger. And of course, that was fucking true, but he didn’t need to hear it from them! Even Sango and Miroku, he knew, were talking about him in muffled, amused voices behind their hands.

Everybody knew that she owned him. Everybody, it seemed, except for her.

And then the last meet before winter holidays arrived.

The morning of the meet, Kagome was gone when Yash awoke. He toddled sleepily into the kitchen, to find a beautiful traditional breakfast on the table and coffee already made. Next to his breakfast was a note.

_Good morning sleepyhead!_

_I had a few things to take care of this morning and didn’t want to wake you. Breakfast is made and the coffee’s fresh. See you at the meet! I love you. ~Your baby girl_

Yash smiled and grumbled a little as he sat at his kitchen table. Even though she’d been making him nuts with all her courting/not courting behavior the last few weeks, he had to admit that he missed waking up to her that morning, and missed her smiling face at breakfast. He ate the breakfast she’d made, but his heart wasn’t in it.

He missed her; she made him crazy. He wanted her near him at all times; he hated the way the team was gossiping about them. He wanted to own her, to marry her, to mark her as his; she hadn’t brought up anything relating to marriage or cohabitation or _anything_ in recent weeks. Her scent was everywhere, drilling into his very core. He couldn’t escape her; he didn’t want to.

Yash went through the motions: eating, showering, dressing. He grabbed his duffel bag and jammed the Tetsusaiga and a change of clothes inside. He pulled his long hair back into a thick braid; he knew Kagome liked it that way.

As he got ready to leave, he made a promise to himself: tonight, after they got home from the meet, he was gonna make her tell him what was going on. And, he was gonna make her his.

* * *

By the time Yash arrived at the meet, Kagome was already there. She’d set up shop at the Tokyo U table, and was chatting lightly with Kikyo. She winked at him when she saw him, and even Kikyo gave him a half-hearted wave.

Yash waved back. It was bizarre to see his former and his current loves so chummy, but Kagome could worm her way into the heart of a viper. In a way, that’s exactly what she’d done. He watched as she said something quick to Kikyo and then jogged over to him.

“Hi.” Her smile was a million miles wide.

“Hi yourself.” He gave her a fanged grin.

“Did you miss me this morning?”

“Thanks for breakfast,” he said. “And the coffee.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Her tone was light; playful. He was enraptured.

He stood there, staring at her, for a good minute. She gazed back at him, eyebrows raised, a small smirk playing on her lips.

“Can I help you?” she said at last.

“Uh?” She was _so_ beautiful; she smelled divine. He couldn’t think.

“Help. You.” Her eyes were twinkling at him now, the color of a blue-gray sky at dusk.

“Uhhh—”

“Oi! Taisho!” Sango’s yell brought him back to reality. He shook his head and turned to the direction of the locker room. “Let’s go!”

“One second!” he called back to her. When he turned back to Kagome, she was gone, already back at the table, studiously writing in her ledger, as though they’d never spoken.

He groaned inwardly, then turned to follow his assistant coach into the locker room.

* * *

Last match of the old year: Minamoto from Tokyo U versus Watanabe from Shizuoka. The winner would place first for their school. And if Minamoto won, he would take over the ranking of number one kendoka in the country on the college level. Yash and Minamoto took a few minutes before the match to sit down with Kagome, who went over Watanabe’s every move from the day.

“It looks like he’s been increasingly attacking the _tsuki_ over the course of the meet,” Kagome commented. “But all those high strikes are leaving his _do_ open, especially his _migi-do_.”

“How about the _kote_ , Higurashi?” Yash asked her. Minamoto looked at his coach, surprised that he would leave off the honorific.

Kagome read through her notes, her brow cutely furrowed. “If he’s going for the _tsuki_ , then his _men_ will be protected,” she commented. “But the _kote_ is open, especially his _migi-kote_. His whole right side has been left open the entire meet.”

Yash smiled at her. “Thanks, Higurashi.” He turned to Minamoto. “What do you think?”

Minamoto grinned as the buzzer sounded for him to take his place on the mat.

“I think you’re in love with the team manager, sensei,” Minamoto said, and jogged off.

Shocked, Yash turned to Kagome. She was watching Minamoto intently, her face neutral. She gave no indication that she had heard what Minamoto said.

It was no surprise that Minamoto crushed the Shizuoka kendoka. He was fleet of foot and quick-minded; the Shizuoka kendoka wasn’t even in his class. The match was over in only about thirty seconds; the team erupted in cheers and shouts of victory as they surrounded Minamoto.

Yash whooped with pride; thanks to that performance, he now had the honor of coaching the number one kendoka in the country. He knew Kagome had a lot to do with Minamoto’s work ethic and training, since she’d been able to identify his weaknesses as well as his strengths. Yash turned to thank her, but she was already gone.

“Oi, Sango!” hissed Yash. His assistant coach jogged over from where she’d been celebrating with the team. “Where’s Kagome?”

Sango looked over at the Tokyo U table where Kagome normally sat. “I don’t know? She was there just a minute ago.”

Yash clenched his fists and did everything he could to keep from howling. “Dammit!” he shouted instead. He looked at Sango. “She. Is. Driving. Me. _Crazy._ ”

Sango laughed. “No kidding! Like we all haven’t seen it over the past few weeks.” She paused. “I’m sure Kagome’s fine. Go congratulate your new number one, Taisho-sensei.”

Yash’s anger melted away when he saw Minamoto on the shoulders of his teammates, everyone yelling and jumping to congratulate him and give him high fives. Yash rushed to join his team, Kagome slipping from his mind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome gives Yash her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or any of the characters from the manga and/or anime.
> 
> Hello everyone! Welcome to the last chapter of "Having It All." Almost the whole chapter is lemony, so please enjoy!

Yash stayed out with the team until after midnight. He didn’t mean to; he really didn’t. But Minamoto wanted him to stay for a few drinks, and then Miroku bought shots, and then Sango wanted to sing some karaoke, and then it was suddenly 12:30 and Yash realized he hadn’t seen Kagome since the meet. He immediately became intensely worried about her, and called a rideshare to get himself home. He ignored Sango and Miroku’s snickers, said goodnight to his kendoka, and hauled ass home (as fast as a rideshare could get him, anyway).

When he arrived at his apartment, he could smell her before he even stepped inside. Ever since she’d been doing the whole inu youkai courting/not courting thing, her scent was enhanced and permeated every inch of his apartment, even seeping through the doors. He took a moment to compose himself. Yash took deep breaths, then opened the door and stepped into the apartment.

Kagome’s scent hit him like an 18-wheeler truck. He almost fell over, but contained himself enough to remove his shoes in the genkan.

“Kagome?” he called.

Nothing.

He took a few steps into the washitsu.

“Kagome?” he called again.

He could hear her breathing; she was in the washitsu, even if she wasn’t answering.

“Kagome?”

He heard her mumble something; then, suddenly, his wrists were bound in front of him and he couldn’t move.

“Inuyasha.” She was beside him; her scent was making him dizzy. He couldn’t think; he couldn’t breathe. She was all around him; she was inside and outside him.

“Kagome.” All he could say.

She took him by the hand, and led him to the bedroom. He was suddenly _so_ eager to follow her, to do whatever she wanted him to do.

“On the bed, Taisho,” she said, and it was the _best idea_ she’d ever had.

He laid down; she straddled him, her leggings doing little to prevent her from rubbing up against his cock. He groaned. She pushed his bound wrists up over his head.

“We have some things to discuss, Taisho,” Kagome said simply. She rolled her hips over his cock; he moaned, frustrated that he couldn’t grab her and flip her over.

“I’ve cast a binding spell on your wrists,” she added. “I’ll release you when you’ve satisfied my questions.”

“How—how did you learn a binding spell?” he asked, breathless.

She smirked. “Kikyo helped me.”

 _Of course she fucking did_.

“Baby girl,” he rasped, bucking his hips into her core, “ask me anything you want.”

She smiled, and laid flush over his body so their faces were even with each other. He suddenly because aware of the fact that she was wearing something soft and silky, and that she was not wearing a bra. Her nipples were already hard and pebbly; he hissed as he felt them through his shirt.

“First question,” she breathed, centimeters away from his lips, “do you love me?”

He tried to reach up and kiss her, but she pulled away. He whined at her movements, but she simply giggled.

“Yash,” she breathed again, swooping in to give him a light lick on his lips, “answer the question.”

He growled; she pulled back again and waggled her finger at him.

“Baby girl,” he whispered huskily, “I am _so_ fucking in love with you.”

“Correct answer,” she whispered back. From her spot nestled over his groin, she reached up and pulled off her silk camisole. Her breasts gleamed in the moonlight that shone through the window.

“Baby girl,” he breathed. “Fuck me, you are beautiful.”

She giggled again. “All in good time, _Inuyasha_.” The darkness that invaded her eyes when she said his name made him chafe against the binding spell. His wrists burned. Kagome laughed.

“Now, now,” she clucked, “good little puppies obey their masters.”

Yash wished more than anything that he was free in that moment to show her exactly _who_ was in charge.

“Question number two,” she continued briskly, “do you want me to live with you?”

Suddenly Yash had had enough. “You know the answer to that, dammit,” he growled. “Let me go.”

Kagome did a little turn of her hand, and Yash’s wrists were pressed together more tightly and burned slightly, making him grunt. “Answer the question, Inuyasha,” she sang.

“You know I do, baby girl,” he said immediately. “Now, let me go.”

Instead of letting him go, she rose; he growled against the loss of the pressure against his cock. But when he felt her fingers fumbling with his belt, he raised his head. She loosened his belt, pulled it cleanly through the loops, then unbuttoned his pants. “Lift your ass,” she commanded, and before he could even think, he was doing exactly what she said. She tugged his khaki pants and boxer briefs down together, leaving them in a puddle at the foot of the futon.

“Correct answer,” she hissed, and ran her fingernails up over his muscled quads, up to the silver curly hair at his groin. She leaned forward and licked the tip of his cock; he yelped and his cock trembled in response.

“One more question,” Kagome said, hoisting her still-clothed legs over his groin and settling back down on him. He bucked into her again and growled.

“This is more than a binding spell, isn’t it?” he asked in a grumbly voice.

Kagome laughed. “Excellent observation,” she said. “It binds you, but also gets you to do what I want. Within reason. Now,” she added, slapping his thigh to get his attention, “last question.”

She rubbed herself against his groin and he moaned from the friction. She was going to kill him before she let him fuck her; he was sure.

“Do you want to mark me?”

Well.

That was _not_ the question he was expecting.

“How do you know about marking?” he asked her suspiciously.

“I’m a miko, Yash,” she said, winking. “And, I’m a PhD student. Don’t you think I know how to do my research? Like on how to court an inu youkai?”

He groaned, partially from pleasure, partially from the realization that for the last few weeks, she was doing exactly what he thought she could have no idea how to do.

Kagome rolled her hips against him and yanked up his polo shirt enough to run her hands over his abs and towards his chest, trailing her nails over the dips and ridges of his muscled torso. Her voice dropped about an octave and dripped with lust. “Tell. Me.”

Yash was terrified to tell her. What if this was a ploy? A way for her to get an out and run?

 _But_ , a little voice inside him said, _would she be going to all this trouble if she was going to run?_

He had to admit the truth. He took a breath.

“I do,” he said. “But not right away. And only if you want it, too.”

“What does it mean, for you to mark me?”

“I thought you did your research?” he teased her.

She lifted herself up and rolled her core roughly down his cock. Yash moaned loudly, uttering her name and several curses that made Kagome’s smirk grow bigger.

“I want to know what _you_ think, Yash,” she said. “What does it mean, for you to mark me? What does it mean _to you_?”

“It means that I want to share my lifespan with you!” he shouted. When she looked at him in surprise, he softened his voice. “It means that I want to be bonded to you, body and soul. It means I want to care for you, forever and ever. If I marked you, it would mean that we belong only to each other.” He paused, hyperaware of how his voice had risen yet again. He dropped it to a whisper. “It means forever, Kagome.” He looked her in the eyes. “But only if you want it.”

Kagome’s face was inscrutable. She held his gaze for a long moment, as though searching for some flaw, some break where his words didn’t match his eyes. Yash breathed carefully, keeping his expression open and loving, a gentle smile on his lips.

After what felt like a thousand years, Kagome leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Her lips were soft, pliable; the kiss was latent with lust. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers: once, twice.

Yash’s hands were free.

He flew into action. He wrapped her in his arms, pressing her close, devouring her roughly. He used a fang to tease the seam between her lips open; she eagerly obliged and allowed his tongue to drive into her mouth. He relished in her moist heat; she moaned as his tongue searched out the deepest recesses of her mouth. She grabbed at his polo shirt and pulled it up; he obediently lifted his arms, breaking their kiss just long enough to allow her to lift it over his head.

Kagome pulled back a little from his pursuant lips, sitting back up and surveying him carefully. He watched her blue-gray eyes as they traveled slowly down his body: from his ears on top of his head, to his sliver hair, to his amber eyes, to his fanged grin, and then down his neck to his defined chest, hidden a little under his silver chest hair, and then down his muscled torso to his groin, where she sat. He heard her breathing hard.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured.

Yash sat up, wrapping her in his arms, burying his face in her hair.

“ _You’re_ beautiful, Ka-Go-Me,” he whispered, letting his breath tickle her ear.

She shivered and nestled her face in his chest, kissing it softly.

“I love you,” she murmured into his chest hair. He chuckled as her breath ghosted over the curly hairs.

He drew her up and rested his forehead against hers. “I love you,” he replied breathlessly, “so, _so_ , fucking much.”

Kagome kissed the tip of Yash’s nose, then pulled back. When he reached forward and grabbed after her, she giggled and scooted away from him to the edge of the futon. He whined, still reaching out for her. She giggled again.

“I’m a little overdressed now, don’t you think?” she teased him, shifting so she could tug her leggings down. He turned on his side and watched, breathless, as she dragged down her pants and undies, and then rose up on her knees again so he could see all of her.

“If you mark me,” she said, a little hesitant, “this is what you get. Do you still want me?”

He sat up and circled her waist with his hands. He buried his face between her breasts, inhaling her sweet, sweet scent. Yash turned and kissed the side of one breast, then the other, then looked up at her.

“Baby girl,” he replied, “this is all that I’ve ever wanted. _You’re_ all I’ve ever wanted.”

She moaned and buried her face in his silver hair. She nuzzled his ears, licking the sensitive insides and taking the tips in her mouth.

And then somehow—Yash could never quite remember how it happened—Kagome was on her back and he was all over her. His hands and lips were roaming everywhere, as if he needed to imprint her very essence onto his skin. Kagome’s hands were equally exploratory, dragging her fingernails over his skin with a neediness he could never remember having felt before.

“Yash,” she whispered, “I need you. _Now_.”

He reached between her legs to prepare her, only to feel that she was dripping wet. And yet, he had barely touched her. Clearly, Kagome’s teasing hadn’t just affected him.

But Yash couldn’t help himself. He kissed his way down her body, stopping to tease one nipple, then the other, before he dragged his tongue along her torso and into her belly button, nipping at its soft sides just enough to make her quiver, before dropping down to the apex of her sex, where he buried his face and inhaled, drowning in her delectable scent.

“Not now,” she begged. “ _Please_.”

“Oh, baby girl,” he replied, teasing her soft skin with his fangs, “you got to have your way with me. It’s my turn now.” And he attacked her most delicate parts with fervor.

Kagome keened loudly as his tongue entered her, pulsing and licking and thrusting, lapping up all of her sweet juices. One hand went to tease her nipples, and the other pinched her swollen bud, hard enough to make her even wetter. She was so sensitive, and he was so impatient; Yash growled against her slit and drank her in, ignoring her twisting and her weeping and her pleas to fuck her. She was his; he would take what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted.

Suddenly, he felt her walls quake and clench around his tongue, and she let out a string of curses as she orgasmed and her reiki flared, hot and pink and pulsing like his tongue. Yash barely had enough presence of mind to unleash some of his youki to catch it before her reiki overwhelmed them both. His youki covered them gently, caressing her reiki, reminding her that he loved her. As Kagome came down from her high, shaking and glassy-eyed, Yash let out a little more of his youki to intertwine with her reiki, to keep her calm.

Because he was about to fuck her. Hard.

Yash used his arms to pull himself up over her body. He reached across her to his nightstand and pulled a condom from the drawer. He tore it open with his teeth, and rolled it down his shaft quickly, Kagome just starting to come back to herself. He lifted her ass in the air just a little with his hand; he lined up his cock with her entrance and sank into her depths, slow and purposeful. They both groaned at the pressure, Kagome still mumbling and weepy from her orgasm. Yash stilled for just a moment, to allow her to shift to the new sensation. Then, he pulled out almost completely, only to slam back into her.

Kagome threw her head back and cried out his name as he continued his slow, but fierce, fucking. She was writhing underneath him, trying to keep him deep inside her each time he pulled out, exploding when he thrust forcefully back in. She wrapped her legs around him, not letting him get the full range of motion he wanted. Yash chuckled at how badly she wanted to keep him close.

“Kagome,” he whispered. “I love you.”

“Yash,” she whispered back. “I love you, but you’re killing me. So stop teasing me and fuck me like I know you want to.”

He growled in response, pulled out of her harshly, and flipped her over. “Is this what you want?” he asked her darkly.

“Fuck yes it is,” she said, her voice dropping to a low hiss. “Now do it, Inuyasha.”

Yash didn’t even wait for her to be fully situated before he filled her again. She moaned loudly and adjusted her body, dropping her upper torso to the futon mattress and curving her lower back to maximize her pleasure. Yash chuckled and ran his hands over her ass, reveling in its softness and perfection. Gods, he loved taking her like this. He held her hips firmly, backed out, and plowed into her again.

Normally he adored making love to her; keeping his penetration of her body a little calmer and sweeter, his love for her greater than his youki’s urges to take her hard. But tonight she had lit something inside of him with her teasing; his youki was alive and howling, demanding that he reassert his dominance over her. And from the way she was whimpering and thrusting back against him, Kagome was more than ready to submit.

Yash kept his youki flush and forward as he pounded into her, reassuring her reiki that, despite his forcefulness, he still loved her. Their joined auras swirled around them in a frenetic light show; Kagome’s leg started pounding the mattress as she cried and moaned and offered up some unintelligible words in her agony. Her wantonness was driving him insane; he just needed her to unleash, to pull him along for the ride, and he would be a willing follower.

“Baby girl,” Yash growled, pulling her back onto his cock relentlessly, “it’s time. I want you to come for me.”

Kagome babbled out something that sounded like his name mixed with tears; her legs were writhing and pounding the mattress under him. She let out a guttural howl that he didn’t know she had in her; it was like throwing gasoline on the fire she’d stoked in his soul, and he answered her call with a harsh bellow that made him see stars as he released everything he had within her.

They stayed in that position for a moment, both gasping for air and shaking; Yash slowly settled beside her and pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. She exhaled a long, shuddering breath, and covered his hands with her own.

“Yash,” she breathed. He brought his face down beside her ear, his nose tickling the lobe. She giggled shifted slightly to turn her face more towards his. “What…what was that?”

He chuckled and drew her even closer to her, his arms brushing against her nipples. She quivered and moaned softly. “I may have let my youki out more than I normally do,” he said slowly. “Your teasing made it _really_ hard to control myself this time.” He paused, suddenly ashamed of how he had taken her so harshly. “I’m so sorry, baby girl,” he whispered. “It was too much for you.”

Kagome twisted so that she now faced him, letting him slip out of her core; they both whimpered at the loss of contact. She moved her hands up to either side of his face, and kissed him fiercely. “Taisho Inuyasha,” she said forcefully, using his full name for the first time ever, “ _never_ apologize for letting your instincts take over. It’s part of who you are. Besides,” she added, her voice dropping huskily, “I really liked it.”

Yash sucked in a breath and crushed her to his chest, pressing his lips to hers, trying to convey all the love and appreciation and desire he held for her through his actions. Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck, and moved her top leg up over his hips, drawing him in even closer to her. “You are the most incredible man,” she whispered, “and I will not accept you feeling less than or apologizing for how you love me. That’s part of why I love you.”

“Kagome,” he sighed, and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her sweet scent.

Kagome reached down and removed the condom for him; she sat up and wrapped it in a tissue she pulled from the box by his bedside, and then dropped it in the wastebasket. She dropped back down and bared her neck to him, allowing him to drink in her scent where it was the strongest. “Sleep, Yash,” she whispered. “I love you.”

He buried his nose in her neck, dozing off surrounded by all that was Kagome, and feeling, like he had that night at the shrine, completely at peace.

* * *

The next morning, Yash awoke with the sunrise. He turned to see Kagome resting comfortably beside him. He lay there for a few moments, watching her sleep. Her dark hair tumbled about her, contrasting sharply with the white sheets and pillows. Her aura was perfectly serene; a vast difference, he thought darkly, from the desperation and desire she’d expressed the night before. Her arms were up and under her pillow, pulling it close to her; her right leg was hooked around his left, trying to draw him close, even in sleep.

Yash gave himself a moment to preen a bit before he got up. He’d allowed her to see all of him—the most vulnerable he’d been in front of anyone, maybe ever—and she’d not only not been afraid of him, she actually loved what they did. Yash wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, except to think back on what she’d said the night before. That she loved him, no matter what, no matter how he loved her. And that _how_ he loved her was part of why she loved him.

Even now, his youki was urging him to continue what they’d started the night before, but Yash tamped that down. Kagome needed her rest. He unhooked her leg from his and pushed himself up to a seated position, then hoisted himself out of bed. He grabbed his boxers from where she’d left them on the floor the night before (his youki positively chafing now at the memory of how they got there) and slipped them on. Yash padded out into the main part of the apartment, and went into the kitchen. He was determined to make Kagome a delicious breakfast, and then maybe convince her to spend the rest of the day continuing what they started the night before.

Since Kagome had just made him breakfast the previous morning, there were still plenty of ingredients in the refrigerator and the cupboard. Yash started some water in the electric kettle for tea. Then, he prepared the rice in the rice cooker, then heated up some miso soup, and took some salmon out of the refrigerator to grill on the cooktop. While everything was cooking, he got the nori out of the pantry and the tsukemono out of the refrigerator. Yash flipped the salmon, turned off the burner under the soup, and then quickly retrieved two trays and the appropriate dishes from the cupboard. He turned the heat off the salmon and plated everything up. “Not bad,” he said to himself, admiring his work.

He brought the trays into the washitsu and set them on the chabudai. It was then that he noticed an letter sitting there with his name on it. Perplexed, he sat down and picked up the envelope.

It was Kagome’s handwriting.

“You should open that,” said a voice from the bedroom. Yash looked up and saw Kagome standing in the doorway, wearing his Tokyo U polo shirt. She smiled at him and crossed her arms under her breasts.

“What is this?” he asked her.

Kagome just smiled. “Open it, Yash,” she said again.

Yash obeyed and slid a claw under the seal of the envelope. It opened easily. He drew out a sheet of paper and unfolded it. His golden eyes scanned the document, and he looked up at her in surprise.

“What is this?” he asked her again.

She giggled. “What does it say?”

He paused, and then began to read the letter aloud:

_Dear Taisho-sensei:_

_It is with great regret that I write to you offering my resignation from the position of Team Manager for the Tokyo University Kendo Team, effective immediately. I have immensely enjoyed my time working with you and the team, and I am eternally grateful to Nakamura Sango for giving me the opportunity. I have learned so much about myself, and I will cherish the friendships that I have cultivated over the past eight months. I am happy to offer my services as Team Manager until such time that you find a replacement; however, I am hopeful that will not be necessary, as I have other pressing matters to attend to in the coming weeks. If you would like me to continue on an interim basis, don’t hesitate to reach out._

_Again, I apologize for the suddenness of this letter, but I felt it in both our best interests to notify you as soon as possible. Thank you again for your guidance, your leadership, and all you have given me. I am endlessly appreciative._

_Sincerely Yours,_

_Higurashi Kagome_

Yash looked up at Kagome, his eyes shining. The tears were already slipping down her cheeks.

“Baby girl,” he croaked out, his voice suddenly hoarse. “Does this mean what I think it means?”

She nodded, and catapulted herself across the room and into his arms. He accepted her eagerly and gratefully, pressing her close to him.

“I sublet my apartment to Miroku,” she said into his chest. “His lease is up January 1st, and this will give him a little time to find a place to live. I put all my stuff in storage yesterday before the meet; we can go through it and see what we want to keep and what we want to sell.” She pulled back a little and looked deep into his eyes; they were burning a fiery amber with love for her. Her voice grew quiet. “I hope it’s okay that I did this without asking you. But I had to know what your endgame was for me. That’s why I did what I did last night. I had to know that this wasn’t going to be…like Hojo.” She faltered at the end; he could scent the increase in her tears.

Yash cupped her face with his hands and kissed her gently. “Baby girl,” he breathed, “all I have wanted is whatever you want. I will be here to support you and love you. You can continue your work; you can live at your family’s shrine; you can move halfway across the world. I don’t care. If you go, I will follow you. I love you more than anything else in this world.”

“Even kendo?” she teased him.  
  
“Even kendo,” he promised her. “You are all that matters to me.”

“Yash,” she whispered, and pressed her lips to his.

In that moment, Yash realized that he had spoken the truth; she _was_ all that mattered to him. And now that she’d agreed to live with him, their lives would be intertwined, just like their auras were last night. He forgot about breakfast, and laid her down on the tatami, prepared to love her, to worship her, and to care for her, just as he’d hoped she would allow him to do.

Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for coming on this journey with me through the InuKag Kendo Club! This is probably the last story (for at least the time being); I hope you have enjoyed this AU! Be safe and well, and thank you for reading!


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